Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet United States President Donald Trump in Washington next Wednesday to discuss America’s talks with Iran. This meeting took place amid increasing tensions, after Iran’s Foreign Minister threatened to attack US military bases in the region.
Netanyahu’s office stressed that all negotiations must include curbing Iran’s ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis. The statement referred to Tehran’s support for militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories.
Trump and Netanyahu last met last December in the context of strategic cooperation between the two countries. Until now, the White House has not provided official comments regarding the planned meeting.
The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran previously held indirect talks in Oman last Friday. However, the meeting was assessed as returning to the starting point regarding the approach in discussing Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump described the talks as “excellent” and said a follow-up round would be held early next week. The US delegation to the talks was represented by special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to use military force to force Iran to reach a nuclear deal. This threat was accompanied by the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a number of other warships to the area.
Gulf Arab states fear a potential attack could trigger a wider regional war. These concerns are reinforced by memories of the 12-day Israel-Iran war last June.
For the first time in negotiations with Iran, the United States involved the highest military commander in the Middle East. The head of US Central Command, Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, was also present and later visited the USS Abraham Lincoln with Witkoff and Kushner.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that nuclear talks should take place in a calm atmosphere without threats. He added that diplomats had returned to their respective capitals, indicating that this round of negotiations had ended.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Araghchi stated that if the US attacks Iran, his country does not have the capability to attack US territory directly. Therefore, Iran will retaliate by attacking US military bases in the region.
Araghchi also said there was deep distrust due to previous negotiation experience. He was referring to the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities by the US in the Israel-Iran war last year.
Furthermore, Araghchi emphasized that the missile and defense issues were completely non-negotiable. According to him, this matter will not be discussed now or in the future.
Tehran has always maintained that talks will only focus on its nuclear program. However, Al Jazeera reported that there were proposals from Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari diplomats to Iran.
In the proposal, Iran was asked to stop enriching uranium for three years and send highly enriched uranium abroad. Iran was also asked to promise not to start using ballistic missiles.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks needed to cover all these issues. This statement is in line with Israel’s position that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.
Israel, as a close US ally, wants Iran’s nuclear program to be completely stopped. Apart from that, Israel also demands an end to Iran’s ballistic missile program and Tehran’s support for militant groups in the region.
At a forum in Qatar, Araghchi accused Israel of being the party that is destabilizing the region. He accused Israel of violating the sovereignty of other countries, killing officials and expanding its military operations.
Araghchi also criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. He called for comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.
(hsy/hsy)
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
date:2026-02-08 15:00:00