Khaberni - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington and his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump hold special importance. The meeting will explore the topic of U.S.-Iranian negotiations and present Israel's options in dealing with Tehran, especially regarding the military option.
On the eve of urgent discussions that Netanyahu is expected to conduct in Washington concerning American negotiations with Iran, Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, held talks in Muscat with Omani officials. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Larijani's visit was part of a tour for consultations aimed at enhancing relations with neighboring countries, including a visit to Qatar.
Iran renewed its commitment to continue negotiating from an equitable stance based on mutual respect and shared interests, and called on Washington to act independently, away from pressures and what it termed as its subservience to Israeli demands, which it views as a major factor destabilizing security in the region.
According to Dr. Hassan Ahmadian, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Tehran, Iran wants its negotiations to focus on matters that concern the United States and not what concerns Israel. He stated that the Americans focus on Iran's nuclear program in their negotiations, noting that the missile program is not up for discussion. Recently, the discussions in Muscat only touched upon the nuclear program and sanctions.
Israel asks its American ally to include in the negotiations with Tehran limitations on ballistic missiles and the cessation of Iranian support for what it describes as its regional allies. These conditions, according to Mark Fifle—an advisor to the former U.S. president on national security affairs, speaking on the program "Beyond the News" dated (2026/2/10) — are something the U.S. president will consider during his meeting with Netanyahu in Washington.
Fifle added that Trump is facing challenges and does not want a regional war to break out, but he will allude to Israel's concerns about Iranian ballistic missiles and what he called "proxy wars funded by Tehran," noting that Netanyahu "will try to persuade Trump that the agreement with Tehran regarding its nuclear program and lifting sanctions on it will provide Iran with more money to spend on wars."
The American guest mentioned that Trump is looking for quick results in the negotiations, and in the absence of achieving what he wants, he might pressure the Iranian side with a limited military strike.
Dr. Hassan Ahmadian, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Tehran, said that although Iran has entered negotiations with the United States, it is not confident in the possibility of reaching an agreement, reminding that in this context, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi had said that his country "enters the negotiations with its hand on the trigger."
Netanyahu Pushes for War
Regarding whether Netanyahu will convince the U.S. president to use the military option against Iran, Dr. Mohannad Mustafa, an academic and expert on Israeli affairs, explained that the Prime Minister rushed to meet Trump to convince him of the exclusivity of this option, and tries to persuade him with the Israeli conditions which would mean the failure of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The Israelis fear that Washington and Tehran might reach an agreement that does not include their conditions, which Mustafa said in the program "Beyond the News" that Netanyahu introduces and pushes towards war from a personal perspective, estimating that Trump might not fully listen to Netanyahu, but the latter would still keep the option of a military strike against Iran even if an agreement is reached between Washington and Tehran.
It should be noted that Netanyahu has advanced his visit to the United States by about a week to offer updated intelligence information about Iran, and will discuss the military option against Tehran in Washington, according to Israeli security sources.
