February 10, 2026 | 11:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to the US on Tuesday in order to discuss the Iran negotiations with President Donald Trump.
The Israeli demands for Iran include ceasing all uranium enrichment, cutting down its ballistic missile program, and stopping its support for resistance groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, but Iran rejects these demands, saying it would only accept certain limits on its nuclear program to stop the economic sanctions on the country.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson commented on Netanyahu's Washington visit, warning the US of "destructive" influence, saying it is up to the US to decide "independently of pressure."
The spokesperson also blamed Israel for "opposing any diplomatic process in our region that leads to peace."
The negotiations between the US and Iran started last Friday in Oman on the heels of major protests against Tehran's Islamic regime last month. The US has been deploying some of its army's major assets to the region on standby for possible strikes Trump has repeatedly threatened with.
Thousands of protesters have been killed by Iran's security forces, while many others have been injured and detained.
Iran—Netanyahu's main focus
Netanyahu has become known around the world for demanding a tougher US stance on Iran over the past decades. In June 2025, the US joined Israel's military strikes on Iran by bombing some of the country's key military and nuclear sites.
The Israeli leader's visit comes two weeks after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, before traveling to Oman to take part in the indirect negotiations with Iran. This marked the first time the US and Iran held negotiations since the US strikes on Iran.
The Israeli leader could push for another US strike when meeting Trump Wednesday, with Trump repeatedly threatening that such attacks could take place if negotiations fail.
Israeli elections in background
Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history. His current government is considered the most nationalist and religious the country has ever seen, and his coalition is expected to survive the internal political conflicts and make it to the planned elections in October.
Some experts say Netanyahu could have an interest in sending Israel to elections earlier in some scenarios, with a possible military action against Iran—an issue he has spent most of his political career talking about—bolstering his chances of securing more votes in the Israeli public.
While polls suggest Netanyahu's right-wing Likud is expected to remain Israel's biggest party in the elections, the Israeli leader's coalition is currently trailing behind a potential coalition which would be led by right-wing politician and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Parties in the Israeli coalition are currently at odds over the prospect of ultraorthodox men being conscripted to the army like other parts of society.
Read: Israel's Netanyahu Joins Trump-Initiated Gaza 'Board of Peace'
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