Israel says Netanyahu will meet with Trump about Iran talks on February 11

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) about American talks with Iran, his office said Saturday (February 7, 2026), while Iran’s foreign minister threatened U.S. military bases in the region a day after the discussions.

“The Prime Minister believes that all negotiations must include limiting the ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement, referring to Tehran’s support for militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu last met in December.

There was no immediate White House comment.

The U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran held indirect talks on Friday (February 6, 2026) in Oman that appeared to return to the starting point on how to approach discussions over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Mr. Trump called the talks “very good” and said more were planned for early next week. Washington was represented by West Asia special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme after sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships to the region amid Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands.

Gulf Arab nations fear an attack could spark a regional war, with memories fresh of the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June.

For the first time in negotiations with Iran, the U.S. on Friday (February 6, 2026) brought its top military commander in the West Asia to the table. U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the military’s Central Command, then visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday with Witkoff and Kushner, the command said in a statement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday (February 6, 2026) that “nuclear talks and the resolution of the main issues must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.” He said that diplomats would return to their capitals, signalling that this round of negotiations was over.

On Saturday (February 7, 2026), Mr. Araghchi told the Al Jazeera satellite news network 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.”

He said there is “very, very deep distrust” after what happened during the previous talks, when the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites during last year’s Israel-Iran war.

Tehran has maintained that these talks will be only on its nuclear programme.

However, Al Jazeera reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar offered Iran a proposal in which Tehran would halt enrichment for three years, send its highly enriched uranium out of the country and pledge to “not initiate the use of ballistic missiles”.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) that the talks needed to include all those issues.

Israel, a close U.S. ally, believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon and wants its programme scrapped, though Iran has insisted that its atomic plans are for peaceful purposes. Israel also wants a halt to Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region.

Mr. Araghchi, speaking at a forum in Qatar on Saturday (February 7, 2026), accused Israel of destabilising the region, saying that it “breaches sovereignties, it assassinates official dignitaries, it conducts terrorist operations, and it expands its reach in multiple theatres.”

He criticised Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and called for “comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.”