Trump to Meet Netanyahu at White House Next Wednesday

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday evening that Netanyahu would travel to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning, in an urgent visit that comes just one day after the start of US-Iranian talks in the Sultanate of Oman. Netanyahu is expected to depart for the United States on Tuesday and return on Thursday, in an intensive schedule that reflects the sensitivity of the current phase and the intertwining issues governing the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv, primarily the Iranian file, both its nuclear and military aspects. In an official statement, Netanyahu's office stressed that the Prime Minister, against whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024 after being accused of war crimes committed in Gaza, believes that any negotiations with Iran should not be limited to the nuclear issue alone, but should include strict restrictions on the ballistic missile program, in addition to "ending support for the Iranian axis" in the region. The statement implicitly indicated Israeli concerns about the direction of the US-Iranian talks so far, a clear hint that Tel Aviv does not want to be left out of the decision-making room, nor to be surprised by a negotiating path that might lead to understandings that do not meet its security conditions. Experts believe that the timing of Netanyahu's visit is not a mere protocol detail, but a complex political message. Through this meeting, Israel is trying to transform itself into a party present in setting the American ceiling for negotiations, not just a recipient of the results. In contrast, Washington seeks to manage the Iranian file in a way that serves its broader interests, not necessarily Israel's maximum conditions. Therefore, the visit appears to be an attempt to reset the rhythm: Netanyahu wants to prevent an "incomplete settlement," and Trump wants a deal that is marketable domestically and internationally. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Saturday that Tehran would not accept the inclusion of the missile issue in any negotiation process. Araghchi said, in an interview with Al Jazeera while talks were ongoing in Muscat: "The missile program is absolutely non-negotiable," considering these missiles a "defensive matter." This Iranian stance reflects a constant red line for the Islamic Republic and indicates that the gap between the Israeli and Iranian visions is not a technical detail, but a disagreement over the definition of security itself and the limits of national sovereignty. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Muscat on Friday with an Iranian delegation led by Araghchi, as part of indirect talks mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi. Al Busaidi said in a post on "X" that the meeting was "useful for clarifying Iranian and American viewpoints and identifying areas of possible progress," in diplomatic phrasing that suggests both parties laid out their general positions without major breakthroughs. In the same context, expectations speak of the United States and Iran preparing for a second round of nuclear talks in the coming days. The first round focused on Iran's nuclear program, while Araghchi was quoted as saying that his country would not give up its "right" to enrich uranium. Sources also reported that the ballistic missile file was not raised for discussion in the first sessions, which increases Israel's concern, as it considers this file essential to any agreement. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu was scheduled to be in Washington between February 18 and 22, but the date was moved up a week at Netanyahu's request, according to a White House official quoted by "Axios." This is Netanyahu's seventh visit to the United States since Trump began his second term just over a year ago. The last visit was in late December, when Netanyahu spent New Year's Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, indicating the close personal and political relationship between the two men. According to Israeli media, the new Israeli Air Force Commander, Brigadier General Omar Tischler, will join Netanyahu on this trip. Tischler was recently appointed to a role similar to a "military envoy" to the Pentagon, in preparation for taking command of the Air Force next April. Reports noted that he unusually joined Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during a previous visit to the United States this month, where they met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kin and other American officials at the Pentagon, suggesting that the military aspect is strongly present in the calculations of this phase. Considering the Air Force Commander's accompaniment on a political visit is not just "escort," but an indicator of the nature of the messages Israel wants to send. When missiles and enrichment are raised, the Air Force becomes the primary tool of pressure: either as a deterrent or as an operational option. Tischler's presence suggests that Tel Aviv does not want the visit to be read as merely a political dialogue, but as a re-establishment of the equation of "negotiation under the ceiling of power." It also places Washington under the responsibility of controlling its ally and preventing a slide into an uncalculated escalation. In contrast, a day after the Oman talks, Witkoff and Kushner visited the US aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" on Saturday morning, a week after its arrival in the region amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. The carrier is stationed in the Arabian Sea, accompanied by a battle group including destroyers and naval cruisers, in a military display that reflects that the negotiation process is not separate from a show of force. CNN reported that the visit was at the invitation of the Commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. Witkoff later confirmed the visit in a post on "X," saying that he, along with Kushner and Cooper, "met with brave sailors and marines" aboard the carrier and its battle group, considering their presence to "support President Trump's message of peace through strength." He added that they met the pilot who "shot down an Iranian drone" that approached the carrier "without clear intent" last week. Witkoff and Kushner are expected to meet with Araghchi for the second time next week, as Trump said on Friday, describing the first meeting as "very good." Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on its way to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend: "Iran seems to want to make a deal very badly, as they should." However, Trump, at the same time, continued to brandish options of force to compel Iran to an agreement on its nuclear program, amid a US naval buildup in the region. Thus, the threads of diplomacy intersect with military display at one moment: Washington negotiates and pressures, Tehran refuses to expand the files, and Tel Aviv seeks to raise the bar of conditions. Between these three parties, it seems that any potential progress will not be the product of "good intentions," but the result of precise balances between what can be accepted at the table and what must be rejected.