Netanyahu to meet Trump as Iran nuclear talks reach critical stage

1 hour agoDaniel BushAFP via Getty ImagesNetanyahu's visit on Wednesday marks his sixth trip to the US since Trump's return to office (File picture)President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East and negotiations intensify over curbing Iran's nuclear weapons programme.Netanyahu is expected to press Trump to pursue a deal that would halt Iran's uranium enrichment, and rein in its support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. "I will present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations," Netanyahu told reporters before leaving for the US.Iran has said it will not limit uranium enrichment unless Western nations scale back sanctions that have severely strained its economy. Netanyahu's visit on Wednesday marks his sixth trip to the US since Trump's return to office - more than any other world leader. A close Trump ally, Netanyahu has long argued that Iran represents an existential security threat to Israel and has pushed the US to curb Tehran's influence in the region."The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis," Netanyahu's office said in a statement ahead of his trip.The visit comes as the US increases its military presence in the Middle East, with Trump warning Tehran of action if it fails to strike a nuclear deal. On Tuesday, the president said that he was "thinking" about sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was sent to the region last month after Trump threatened to strike Iran to stop a government crackdown on mass protests in which thousands of people were killed."We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going," Trump said in an interview with Axios. Trump said Iran "wants to make a deal very badly", adding that a diplomatic solution remains possible.Israeli officials have also said the country reserves the right to take military action against Iran if it doesn't reach a nuclear agreement with the US. Netanyahu is under pressure from allies in his far-right government to use his ties to Trump to push for a wide-ranging US-Iran deal that meets the Israeli government's security concerns, experts said."Israel is concerned that in the haste to get a deal with Iran, the president might embrace a deal that doesn't address Iran's missile program or support for proxy groups, or that allows it to have some remnant of its nuclear program," said Dan Byman, a professor at Georgetown University."One worry Israel and other allies have about the US under Trump is that he wants a deal more than he wants a particular outcome," added Byman."The Iranian regime today is really vulnerable," said Mohammed Hafez, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and expert on Middle Eastern politics. "The US and Israel feel they hold all the cards, Iran is on its back foot, and they can make these maximalist demands."Trump withdrew the US from an Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran in his first term in office. The administration restarted talks with Iran last year to reach a new deal.Despite this heightened rhetoric in recent weeks, Trump may still wish to avoid a direct military conflict with Iran if the nations can't strike a nuclear deal, former US officials said."I don't think Trump wants a major military confrontation with Iran going into an election year," said James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey. "And I think the Iranians know that."The visit also comes amid talks between Israel and Hamas on implementing the next phase in their ceasefire agreement in Gaza.A White House spokesperson said Israel "has had no better friend in its history than President Trump"."We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to implement President Trump's historic Gaza peace agreement and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East," said Anna Kelly, the spokesperson.Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last October, ending a two-year war started by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack inside Israel. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage in the attack. Israel's military campaign in response has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.Israel and Hamas have accused each other of frequent violations of the ceasefire since the first phase of the deal went into effect.The sides have not made much progress in moving to the second phase in the ceasefire deal, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas, a full withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, and reconstruction of the coastal territory.