Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ongoing American efforts to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear programme.
Netanyahu’s office announced the plans on Saturday, stressing that any deal must address Tehran’s ballistic missiles and support for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
The meeting follows indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Oman on Friday, mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented Washington, joined for the first time by Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, who later toured the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier. Trump described the session as productive, with more due next week.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters, “nuclear talks and the resolution of the main issues must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.” On Al Jazeera the next day, he warned that if the U.S. attacks Iran, his country doesn’t have the ability to strike the U.S., and therefore has to attack or retaliate against U.S. bases in the region.
Araghchi cited mistrust from last year’s 12-day Israel-Iran war, when U.S. strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites, and insisted the “missile issue” and defence matters are “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.” Tehran limits talks to nuclear issues only.
Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt had proposed Iran pause enrichment for three years, cap it below 1.5 per cent later, export stocks, and curb missile use and proxy arms. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio backs including these points, matching Israel’s demands to end the nuclear effort, missiles, and regional meddling—which Iran calls peaceful.
Gulf states fear escalation after June 2025’s clashes and Iran’s protest crackdowns. Araghchi accused Israel of breaching sovereignties, assassinations, terrorism, and expansionism, urging “comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.” The White House has not commented.