Media: Netanyahu heads to Washington to push broader Iran nuclear talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is travelling to Washington on February 10 to press President Donald Trump to widen the scope of sensitive nuclear negotiations with Iran, which resumed last week amid a visible buildup of US military forces in the region, according to US media.

Israel has consistently argued that any deal with Iran must go beyond the nuclear file to include a complete halt to uranium enrichment, limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program, and an end to its support for armed groups across the Middle East. Iran has repeatedly rejected those conditions, insisting it would only accept partial restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

It remains uncertain whether Iran’s violent suppression of mass protests last month, or the deployment of major US military assets to the region, has made Iranian leaders more willing to compromise. It is also unclear whether Trump is prepared to expand talks that are already widely seen as complex and fragile.

Netanyahu, who is expected to remain in Washington through Wednesday, February 11, has spent much of his decades-long political career advocating tougher US action against Iran. Those efforts appeared to bear fruit last year, when the United States joined Israel in 12 days of strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. The prospect of additional military action against Iran is likely to feature prominently in discussions during the visit.

The trip comes just two weeks after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The US envoys subsequently held indirect talks in Oman on Friday with Iran’s foreign minister.

“The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said over the weekend, referring to Iran-backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Years of diplomacy have produced little progress since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, a move strongly encouraged by Israel. Despite suffering repeated setbacks, Tehran has shown little readiness to engage on issues beyond its nuclear program. Still, the meeting with Trump gives Netanyahu a chance to influence the direction of the talks and could strengthen his political standing at home.

Facing elections later this year, Netanyahu has long emphasised his close relationships with global leaders, particularly Trump, whom he has described as the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House. The Washington visit allows him to underscore his role in shaping the Iran talks for a domestic audience.

“The issue of relations between Netanyahu and Trump will be the issue of the campaign, and he is saying, ‘Only I can do this, it’s only me,’” said Shine.

Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having held the office for more than 18 years in total. His current government, widely described as the most nationalist and religious in Israel’s history, is expected to remain in power until elections in October, or close to that date.

The prime minister had originally been scheduled to visit Washington next week for the February 19 launch of Trump’s Board of Peace, an initiative initially presented as a framework for rebuilding Gaza after the Israel–Hamas war but which has since expanded into a broader effort to address global crises.

Although Netanyahu agreed to take part in the initiative, he has expressed reservations because it includes Türkiye and Qatar, countries he opposes having a role in postwar Gaza due to their ties with Hamas.

Advancing the visit could offer what Plesner described as an “elegant solution,” enabling Netanyahu to skip the launch event without risking offense to Trump. 

By Tamilla Hasanova