By Matt Spetalnick and Maayan Lubell
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, Feb 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday where the Israeli prime minister is expected to press him to widen U.S. talks with Iran to include curbs on Tehran’s missile arsenal and other security threats that go beyond its nuclear program.
In his seventh meeting with Trump since the president returned to office nearly 13 months ago, Netanyahu will be looking to influence the next round of U.S. discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday amid heightened Middle East tensions.
Trump has threatened to carry out strikes on Iran if an agreement is not reached, and Tehran has responded with vows to retaliate, fueling fears of a wider regional war. He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, long a close U.S. ally in the Middle East and an arch-foe of Iran.
The president repeated his warning in a series of media interviews on Tuesday, saying while he believes Iran wants to make a deal, he would do “something very tough” if they refused.
TRUMP SAYS NO TO IRANIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS, MISSILES
Trump told Fox Business that a good deal with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” but did not elaborate, and he said in an interview with Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a massive buildup of U.S. forces near Iran.
Israel is concerned that the U.S. might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include limitations on Iran’s ballistic missile program or an end to Iranian support for armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, according to people familiar with the matter.
“I will present to the president our perceptions of the principles in the negotiations,” Netanyahu told reporters before departing for the U.S.
The two men could also discuss potential military action in the event that U.S.-Iran diplomacy fails, according to one of the sources.
After arriving in Washington on Tuesday night, Netanyahu met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who led the U.S. team at the Iran talks, according to a post on X by Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Michael Leiter.
GAZA ALSO ON THE AGENDA
Also on the agenda will be Gaza, with Trump looking to push ahead with a ceasefire agreement he helped to broker. Progress on his 20-point plan to end the war and rebuild the shattered Palestinian enclave has stalled with wide gaps remaining over complex steps it envisions, including Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw in phases.
“We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to implement President Trump’s historic Gaza peace agreement and to strengthen regional security,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said when asked about U.S. priorities for the meeting.
Netanyahu’s visit, originally scheduled for February 18, was brought forward amid renewed U.S. engagement with Iran. Both sides at last week’s Oman meeting said it was positive and further talks were expected soon.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week, ahead of the Oman meeting, that the talks would have to include the range of Iran’s missiles, its support for proxy groups and its treatment of its own people.
Iran, which has ruled out restrictions on its missiles, said Friday’s discussions had been limited to nuclear issues.
Trump has been vague about broadening the negotiations. He was quoted as telling Axios on Tuesday that it was a “no-brainer” for any deal to cover Iran’s nuclear program, but that he also thought it possible to address its missile stockpiles.
Iran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, while the U.S. and Israel have accused it of past efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Last June, the U.S. joined Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during a 12-day war.
Israel also heavily damaged Iran’s air defenses and missile arsenal. But, according to two Israeli officials, there have been signs of a push to restore those capabilities, which Israel sees as a strategic threat.
Trump had threatened last month to intervene militarily during a bloody crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in Iran, but ultimately held off.
ISRAEL WARY OF A WEAKENED IRAN REBUILDING
Tehran’s regional sway has been weakened by Israel’s attack in June as well as blows to Iranian proxies – from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq – and by the ousting of Iran’s close ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
But Israel has been wary of its foes rebuilding after they suffered heavy losses in the multi-front war sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 cross-border attack on southern Israel.
While Trump and Netanyahu have mostly been in sync and the U.S. remains Israel’s main arms supplier, Wednesday’s discussions have the potential for tensions to surface.
Part of Trump’s Gaza plan holds out the prospect for eventual Palestinian statehood – which Netanyahu and his coalition, the most far-right in Israel’s history, have long resisted.
Netanyahu’s security cabinet on Sunday authorized steps that would make it easier for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israel broader powers in what the Palestinians see as the heartland of a future state. The Israeli decision drew international condemnation.
“I am against annexation,” Trump was quoted as telling Axios, reiterating his stance on the issue. “We have enough things to think about now.”
(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Maayan Lubell, additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Howard Goller)
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