Trump-Netanyahu Meeting February 15; Iran, Embassy Move to Top Agenda

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will have their first meeting since the American elections on February 15 in Washington, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced on Monday.

“Our relationship with the only democracy in the Middle East is crucial to the security of both our nations, and the president looks forward to discussing continued strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation with the prime minister,” Spicer said.

The announcement came the same day that Netanyahu called for renewal of sanctions on Iran after reports of a missile test that he said violates a U.N. Security Council ban.

“Iran has again fired a ballistic missile in callous defiance of a U.N. resolution,” Netanyahu stated. “In my coming meeting in Washington with President Trump, I plan to raise the issue of renewing sanctions against Iran in relation to this and other things.”

It is forbidden that Iranian “aggression” go without a response, he added.

Spicer said the administration is “looking into” reports about the missile test.

“We’re aware that Iran fired that missile. We’re looking into the exact nature of it and I’ll try to have more for you later,” he told a press briefing.

Besides Iran, Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss the issue of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim, a promise from which Trump appears to be backtracking.

“We’re doing very detailed studies on that and we’ll come out very soon,” the president told the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday. “I hate to do that because that’s not usually me: studies. It’s usually, I do what’s right. But this has two sides to it. Not easy.”