02/11/2026, 07:4902/11/2026, 07:49
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will press his country’s demands on a possible US deal with Iran at a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington today. “I will present to the president our views on the principles of these negotiations,” Netanyahu said before his departure. Shortly before, he had made it clear that any negotiations between the US and Iran must include both a limit on ballistic missiles and an end to support for Iran’s allies in the region.
Netanyahu and Trump at a meeting in December.Image: keystone
Israel sees Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as its greatest existential threat. Representatives of the USA and Iran began talks in Oman’s capital Muscat on Friday. A date for a possible sequel has not yet been set. Iran has stated several times that it only wants to negotiate its nuclear program, but not its missiles.
According to the Israeli government, Netanyahu first met Trump’s two special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, upon his arrival in Washington. They discussed “regional matters” and reported on the status of the first round of negotiations with Iran on Friday.
Trump: Netanyahu also wants an agreement
One of the main messages Netanyahu will deliver to Trump is that negotiations with Iran are worthless, the Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen as saying. “Iran has not fulfilled any of its obligations,” Cohen told Israeli Army Radio.
Trump, however, told the US news portal “Axios” that he did not believe that Netanyahu was nervous about the negotiations between the USA and Iran. “He also wants an agreement. “He wants a good agreement,” said Trump. The meeting between him and Netanyahu at the White House – the seventh since Trump took office – is scheduled for 11 a.m. local time (5 p.m. CET).
According to the Israeli newspaper Jediot Achronot, Netanyahu wants to share with Trump, among other things, current intelligence information about Iran’s missile program. Netanyahu will also warn Trump that Tehran is developing long-range missiles that can hit the United States.
The negotiations between the USA and Iran follow the mass protests in the Islamic Republic, which the state security apparatus brutally suppressed. Trump then threatened Tehran with military intervention and strengthened the US military presence in the region, including with the aircraft carrier “USS Abraham Lincoln”.
Trump is considering sending more fleet to Iran
Trump is now considering sending another aircraft carrier to the region. “We have a fleet on the way and another could follow,” he told Axios. And further: “Either there will be a deal or we will have to take very tough measures like last time.”
In June 2025, Israel waged war against its arch-enemy for twelve days and, together with the USA, bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. In addition, over the past two years, Israel has severely weakened Iran’s allies such as the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu is worried that Trump might agree to an agreement that lets Iran “off the hook,” the Wall Street Journal quoted Israel’s former ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, as saying. “This military victory could be wiped out if Iran is granted sanctions relief and becomes a major regional threat again, armed with ballistic missiles and supporting terror,” Oren said.
Before Netanyahu’s departure to Washington, the Secretary General of the Iranian Security Council, Ali Larijani, wrote on the online platform
According to the Israeli news portal “ynet,” Israel’s Energy Minister Cohen recently made it clear that “even in the event of an agreement, if a threat develops against Israel and we are forced to do so, we will act.” A military confrontation would then be possible. An agreement has no value – just a “regime change”.
Gaza peace process also on the agenda
In addition to the talks between the USA and Iran, Netanyahu says he will also discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip at the meeting with Trump. The second phase of the ceasefire agreement provides, among other things, for the disarmament of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.
The New York Times now reported on a draft plan according to which the USA could, at least initially, allow Hamas to keep small arms. However, Hamas would have to hand over weapons that can be used to attack Israel, people familiar with the proposal were quoted as saying.
A US-led team, including Trump’s son-in-law Kushner and Witkoff, intends to present the document to Hamas in the next few weeks, it said. However, details could still be changed and other drafts could possibly be submitted, it said.
Israel insists on demilitarizing Gaza
Israel is unlikely to withdraw its troops from Gaza before Hamas and other militant groups lay down their arms. Israel also views Hamas’ extensive tunnel system in the Gaza Strip as part of the Islamists’ military infrastructure. According to Israeli media reports, Israel’s army is also preparing to resume the war in the Gaza Strip if Hamas continues to refuse to disarm.
Without demilitarization, it would be difficult for Trump’s “Peace Council” to implement the next steps of his 20-point plan, wrote the New York Times. According to US media reports, the “Peace Council” founded by Trump in Davos in January to resolve global conflicts is scheduled to meet for the first time in Washington on February 19th. This should be about implementing the second phase of the peace process and raising money for the reconstruction of the coastal strip that was largely destroyed by the war.
The “Peace Council” is seen by many European states, including Germany, as competition to the United Nations and is therefore rejected. Contrary to what was originally expected, this is not a body exclusively dedicated to monitoring the Gaza peace process. (dab/sda/dpa)