Inside Bibi's pivotal White House meeting with Trump (axios.com)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed skepticism during his meeting with President Trump about the chance of a deal with Iran and discussed increasing economic pressure on Iran "through kinetic and non-kinetic means," a senior Israeli official said in a briefing with reporters. Why it matters: Tuesday's meeting was the first between Netanyahu and Trump since the start of the war on Feb. 28. It came as Trump is still trying to reach a deal with Iran but also considering a return to major combat operations. Several hours after the sitdown, Iran launched a missile attack on an American base in Jordan for the first time since Trump paused U.S. strikes in Iran on Friday. Trump vowed a serious response during an interview with Fox News Wednesday. Iran's surprise attack could push the president toward a full-scale escalation. The Israeli official said Netanyahu is awaiting Trump's decision but made it clear to him that if Iran attacks Israel, the Israeli response will be immediate and powerful. Inside the room: Iran was the main focus of the 90-minute conversation. The Israeli official said they discussed three options Trump is considering for next steps: 1. Reaching a deal with Iran. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are still negotiating with the Iranians, though at the moment the gaps still seem wide. The Israeli official said Netanyahu told Trump he is skeptical an agreement with the Iranians can be struck. 2. Continuing the naval blockade on Iran while increasing economic pressure. 3. Resuming and intensifying military strikes. "We discussed all of those options at length and very candidly. Not as an attempt to promote one option over another, but to examine what the best outcome would be from each. That's what the conversation was about," the official said. Zoom in: The Israeli official said Trump expressed concern about the war's impact on energy markets and the global economy. Netanyahu told Trump the Iranian regime is mainly trying to use the only leverage it has left — the Strait of Hormuz — to force U.S. concessions. Netanyahu didn't disregard Trump's concerns but told him there are ways to continue increasing pressure on Iran's economy, which is already under severe strain, the Israeli official said. "We discussed increasing the economic pressure through both kinetic and non-kinetic means. We talked about the possibility of continuing the blockade in order to pressure Iran," the Israeli official said. The Israeli official said there is a debate inside the Iranian leadership between those who are very concerned about an economic collapse and the more radical elements that think as long as they control the weapons and can support the regime's base of supporters, they don't have a problem. "They're having fuel supply problems, long lines at gas stations, diesel shortages. There are small protests because the public is very frustrated. The regime is very worried about that. It's concerned that people will rise up over th