Netanyahu to Visit Washington Next Week to Meet With Trump

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he will travel to Washington next week to meet US President Donald Trump and other officials.

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Speaking to a meeting of his Cabinet, Netanyahu did not elaborate on the contents of his visit, except to say he will discuss a trade deal.

Netanyahu's visit comes as Trump has signaled he is ready for Israel and Hamas to wind down the war in Gaza, which is likely to be a focus of their talks. Iran, following the 12-day war with Israel, is also expected to be a main topic of discussion.

Meanwhile, Iran is assessing the damage and lashing out over the American and Israeli airstrikes on its nuclear sites, though Tehran kept open the possibility Tuesday of resuming talks with Washington over its atomic program.

The comments by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani also included another acknowledgment that the American strikes at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz—key sites within Iran's program—had been "seriously damaged" by the bombing. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Mohajerani as making the remarks at a briefing for journalists.