Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved up his visit to Washington and is expected to meet with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss the negotiations with Iran, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Why it matters: The announcement of the urgent visit comes a day after Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations in Oman with Iran's foreign minister over a potential nuclear deal.
- Trump said the U.S. and Iran had "very good talks" in Oman on Friday and claimed the Iranian position is more favorable regarding a nuclear deal than it was before the 12-day war last June.
- Netanyahu's statement hinted the prime minister is concerned the U.S. might pursue a narrow nuclear deal with Iran that will not address other Israeli concerns and wants to try and influence the president.
What he is saying: The prime minister's office said in a statement that Netanyahu "believes that any negotiations must include limits on Iran's ballistic missiles and an end to support for the Iranian axis."
Behind the scenes: Originally Netanyahu was planning to meet Trump at the White House on February 18.
- A White House official tells Axios it was Netanyahu who asked Friday to move up his visit by a week and meet Trump this coming Wednesday.
- Netanyahu's early arrival to Washington will also allow him to skip the Gaza Board of Peace leaders meeting planned for February 19, an event that would be politically explosive for Netanyahu domestically.
State of play: Kushner and Witkoff visited on Saturday aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is deployed in the Arabian Sea not far from Iran's shores.
- Witkoff and Kushner visited the USS Lincoln together with the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, who also participated in the negotiations with Iran on Friday.
- The USS Lincoln and the ships in its strike group would be the spearhead of any U.S. military action against Iran.
- A source familiar with the details said the visit was intended to send a message to Iran that Trump has other options if the negotiations fail.
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