2
Netanyahu Meets With Witkoff, Kushner For ‘Iran Talks’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at Blair House in Washington on Tuesday, ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, during which he will present “principles” for the United States’ nuclear negotiations.
During the meeting, the three discussed various regional issues, and Witkoff and Kushner updated Netanyahu on the first round of talks held with Iran last Friday.
Netanyahu landed in the US earlier on Tuesday.
“I will present Trump with principles for negotiations with Iran that are important not only to Israel but to everyone who wants peace and security,” Netanyahu said while boarding Wing of Zion, Israel’s state aircraft. “In my opinion, these are important principles for everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East.”
There are no significant gaps between Israel and the United States on negotiations with Iran, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told The Jerusalem Post at Ben-Gurion Airport before the Tuesday departure.
“I think there’s an extraordinary alignment between Israel and the United States. Everyone would love to see something resolved without war, but it will be up to Iran. If they insist on holding nuclear weaponry and enriched uranium, then I think the president made it very clear that this is not acceptable,” he said.
When asked by the Post if the US and Israel’s stance on red lines for negotiations are the same, Huckabee said that he had not heard anything to the contrary. Netanyahu is slated to meet with Trump and senior members of his administration at 11 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Israel time) on Wednesday and is expected to stay in Washington for around 42 hours.
Israeli officials described the meeting as a “strategy-shaping session,” meaning it will focus not only on the US-Iran negotiations themselves but also on what could happen if the talks fail, including a potential US military strike.
The prime minister’s military secretary, Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, the acting director of the National Security Council, and Gil Reich are accompanying Netanyahu on the visit. In accordance with what Huckabee told the Post, US Vice President JD Vance said in Armenia on Monday that there were no redlines at this stage, but that Trump was seeking a broad and comprehensive agreement.
“If there are red lines in the talks with Iran, Trump will be the one to set them,” the vice president said. “He wants a meaningful deal. Reaching an agreement with Iran would benefit everyone.”
Iran conveyed to the mediators that it is not prepared at this stage to discuss the missile issue or its proxy forces, except possibly after understandings are reached on the nuclear file. It added that even if talks on ballistic missiles do take place, Iran is not willing to compromise on the matter.
