WASHINGTON, February 11. /TASS/. On the eve of his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to urge Washington to demand Tehran suspend its missile program development and cease support for Iranian allies across the Middle East, The Washington Post reported, citing sources.
According to their information, Israel is also advocating for a halt to uranium enrichment and the removal of existing stockpiles outside the Islamic Republic. These proposals were already conveyed to US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner during their visit to Israel ahead of the US-Iran talks in Oman. However, a source for the newspaper stated that Netanyahu wants to present his position directly to the US president.
US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and other representatives of the American administration have repeatedly stated that these demands are included in Washington's bargaining position. At the same time, Trump has only said that his objective is to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This stance, as noted by The Washington Post, has generated "tempered optimism" in Tehran regarding the possibility of reaching an acceptable deal. Iranian authorities have repeatedly emphasized that they do not intend to develop nuclear weapons and will not conduct negotiations on issues limiting their foreign policy capabilities or defense potential.
In a conversation with The Washington Post, a representative of European ruling circles in contact with Iran noted that Tehran believes a new confrontation with Washington is inevitable and that the current talks in Oman can only delay an inevitable US military operation.
A new round of negotiations between Iran and the US on resolving the crisis surrounding the nuclear program took place in Oman on February 6. The Iranian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the US delegation by Steve Witkoff. Earlier, US administration officials warned that they were seriously considering the possibility of using force against the Islamic Republic.