Israel says Netanyahu will meet Trump on Wednesday about Iran talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ongoing American talks with Iran, Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, as Tehran warned it could retaliate against US military bases in the region.

“The prime minister believes that all negotiations must include limiting the ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement, referring to Iran’s backing of militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Trump and Netanyahu last met in December. The White House did not immediately comment.

The meeting comes after the United States and Iran held indirect talks in Oman on Friday over Tehran’s nuclear programme, discussions that appeared to return to initial disagreements on how negotiations should proceed. Trump described the talks as “very good” and said further discussions were planned for early next week.

The US delegation was led by Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. For the first time in negotiations with Iran, Washington also involved its top military commander in the Middle East. US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, later visited the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday alongside Witkoff and Kushner, the command said.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to use military force to push Iran into a deal on its nuclear programme, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships to the region amid Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests that reportedly killed thousands. Gulf Arab states have warned that any military escalation could ignite a wider regional conflict, with memories still fresh of last June’s 12-day Israel-Iran war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that nuclear negotiations must take place “in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats,” adding that diplomats would return to their capitals, signalling the end of the current round of talks.

On Saturday, Araghchi told Al Jazeera that while Iran does not have the capability to strike the US directly, it would retaliate against American bases in the region if attacked. He said there was “very, very deep distrust” following previous negotiations, during which the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites during last year’s Israel-Iran conflict.

Araghchi also reiterated that Iran’s missile programme and other defence issues were “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future,” insisting that the talks are limited strictly to Tehran’s nuclear activities.

However, Al Jazeera reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar had proposed a plan under which Iran would halt uranium enrichment for three years, export its highly enriched uranium and pledge not to initiate the use of ballistic missiles.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that negotiations must address Iran’s missile programme and its regional activities in addition to its nuclear ambitions.

Israel, a close US ally, believes Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants its programme dismantled, a claim Tehran denies, saying its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes. Israel also wants Iran to stop supporting militant groups and abandon its ballistic missile programme.

Speaking at a forum in Qatar on Saturday, Araghchi accused Israel of destabilising the region, alleging it violates sovereignty, conducts assassinations and carries out what he described as terrorist operations. He criticised Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and called for “comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.”