Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boarded a plane to Washington DC on Saturday night with a lot on his mind — but he said the primary topic on the agenda for his meeting on Monday with President Donald Trump will still be Iran.
The prime minister will be staying at Blair House, the official guest residence of the U.S. President.
Netanyahu told reporters as he boarded the plane that he would thank President Trump for the American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “I will discuss with him the continuation of our joint struggle against Iranian aggression. Our steps will only increase,” he said.
On Saturday the prime minister congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton on imposing sanctions on the heads of Iran’s military nuclear program after the exposure of the Iranian nuclear archive.
“Iran continues to deceive the international community and lie to the world about its military nuclear program,” Netanyahu said.
“The Iranian regime continues to conceal its capabilities and to strive for nuclear weapons. Iran endangers the peace of the Middle East and the entire world and must be blocked.”
Netanyahu and Trump are set to discuss the issue at their meeting Monday at the White House. They are also expected to talk about tightening cooperation on security and intelligence, along with their discussion of Iranian aggression, its efforts to entrench militarily in Syria and how to prevent the Tehran regime from attaining nuclear weapons.
The prime minister is scheduled to address the annual AIPAC conference on Tuesday morning, and will meet for dinner with President Trump again on Tuesday evening.
During the day Tuesday the prime minister will hold a series of diplomatic meetings on Capitol Hill with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Senate leadership and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Netanyahu will also meet with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House leadership and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.