Netanyahu to discuss potential Iran strikes with Trump as Washington and Tehran resume talks

By Tal Shalev, CNN

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to discuss possible military options against Iran with US President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington this week as Israel prepares contingencies should US-Iran talks collapse, according to two Israeli sources.

Israel remains skeptical that nascent negotiations between the US and Iran will succeed, one of the sources said, but is pressing to ensure its interests are protected – as well as to preserve Israel’s freedom of military action under any potential agreement.

Netanyahu plans to present Trump with fresh intelligence on Iran’s military capabilities, one of the sources said.

“Israel is worried about Iran’s progress in restoring its ballistic missile stockpiles and capabilities to its status before the 12-day war,” the source said, adding that the Israeli assessment is that without action, Iran could possess 1,800-2,000 ballistic missiles within weeks or months.

CNN is unable to verify the claims. Iranian officials have repeatedly said that while Tehran doesn’t want war, it is ready for it.

Before departing for Washington, Netanyahu said Iran is the “first and foremost” issue on the agenda for his meeting with Trump on Wednesday, the seventh meeting between the two leaders since the start of Trump’s second term.

“On this trip, we will discuss a series of issues: Gaza, the region, but first and foremost, the negotiations with Iran,” Netanyahu said as he boarded his aircraft. “I will present the president with our views regarding the essential principles of the negotiations – principles that, in our eyes, are vital not only for Israel but for anyone in the world who desires peace and security in the Middle East.”

The upcoming meeting follows a series of high-level exchanges in recent weeks. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Intelligence Division head Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder visited the Pentagon in Washington last month, while presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu and top security officials in Jerusalem last week.

Israel has tried to push the US to ensure that any deal with Iran include Tehran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium, ceasing enrichment altogether, placing limits on its ballistic missile program and ending its support for regional proxies. The list matched a set of earlier US demands for a broader set of discussions about Iran’s military capabilities and regional activities.

But Iran has insisted it’s only willing to discuss the nuclear file. Over the weekend, Trump signaled that he may accept a deal that leaves out the other issues. Asked by a reporter on board Air Force One if an agreement with Tehran is acceptable if it only covers nuclear, he said, “Yeah, that would be acceptable, but the one thing and right up front, no nuclear weapons.”

The worst-case scenario for the Israeli prime minister is “a narrow nuclear deal in which the US settles for restrictions on enrichment alone.” Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, wrote in an article in the Israel Hayom newspaper.

“From Netanyahu’s standpoint, the two preferred options are either the military defeat of Iran through American force, or what he sees as a conceptual defeat, namely an agreement so comprehensive that it effectively dismantles the regime’s ability to defend itself,” he wrote.

Netanyahu railed against the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated with Tehran under former President Barack Obama – and was outspoken that the deal left much of Iran’s military capabilities intact and lifted uranium enrichment limits after 15 years. Such vocal criticism would become far more difficult if Trump signs a similar agreement that restricts the weaponization of Iran’s nuclear program while allowing domestic uranium enrichment. Uranium is a nuclear fuel that can be used to make a bomb if purified to high levels.

In June, Israel’s surprise attack on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities derailed a series of ongoing – though foundering – talks between the US and Iran. The 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran ended with Trump demanding that Netanyahu call off another wave of attacks.

Netanyahu’s visit to Washington was initially scheduled for February 18, according to the Israeli source, one day before a meeting of the Board of Peace. Over the weekend, the bilateral meeting was moved up at Netanyahu’s request, so it is unclear if he will attend the Board of Peace convention, which will discuss advancing the Gaza ceasefire into the next stage. Netanyahu did not attend the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace in Davos last month.

Trump has pushed to advance the Gaza ceasefire to the second phase, with the announcement of the board and the Palestinian technocratic committee set to run Gaza. After the retrieval of the remains of the last Israeli hostage in January, Israel opened the Rafah crossing last week for limited passage between Gaza and Egypt. However, Netanyahu continues to stress the need for Hamas to disarm before any reconstruction begins in Gaza.

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