Netanyahu to Meet Trump Wednesday to Discuss Iran

Listen to the article with analysis from the author:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to travel to the US to meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The discussion will center on Iran. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump this Wednesday in Washington, and will discuss with him the negotiations with Iran,” a statement posted to the Israeli Prime Minister’s account on Saturday said. Prime Minister’s Office announcement: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump this Wednesday in Washington, and will discuss with him the negotiations with Iran. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) February 7, 2026 The meeting was requested by Netanyahu, and it will be the seventh with Trump in the past year. The Israeli leader wants to ensure the American President reaches an agreement with Tehran that does not cross Tel Aviv’s red lines.  The statement was posted following US and Iranian talks held in Oman. “They had a very good meeting with a very high representative Iran, of Iran, and we’ll see how it all turns out,” Trump said on Air Force One on Friday.  “We’re going to meet again early next week, and they want to make a deal, Iran, as they should want to make a deal.” He continued, “They know the consequences if they don’t. If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep. So we’ll see what happens.” Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran in recent weeks over the country’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as Tehran’s crackdown on demonstrators. The President has ordered a massive military buildup in the Middle East and instructed the Department of War to create military plans for a “decisive” attack on Iran.  Even if Tehran agrees to a deal with Washington, Israeli officials have told Trump that Tel Aviv may decide to unilaterally attack Iran if the agreement does not meet Israel’s redlines on Iranian ballistic missiles. “We told the Americans we will strike alone if Iran crosses the red line we set on ballistic missiles,” a source told The Jerusalem Post.  An Israeli defense official told the outlet that Tel Aviv had a “historic opportunity” to strike a blow to Tehran’s missile program. Another Israeli official said Tel Aviv was concerned Trump may decide to strike Iran, but it will not be expansive enough to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missiles.  “The worry is he might choose a few targets, declare success, and leave Israel to deal with the fallout, just like with the Houthis,” they explained.  A source explained to Axios that Netanyahu “intended to send a message to Iran that Trump has other options if the negotiations fail.” In June, Israel attacked Iran, knowing that the US would have to be drawn into the conflict for Tel Aviv to achieve its goals. After about a week, Trump ordered the US to attack three Iranian nuclear facilities that Israel lacked the military capability to destroy.  On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran was unwilling to negotiate on its missile program. Tehran has said it’s willing to negotiate additional inspections and limitations on its civilian nuclear program.