(Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he proposed terms for any deescalation deal with Iran during a meeting with US President Donald Trump last week.
According to the terms, Iran shouldn’t possess enriched material or nuclear enrichment capabilities, Netanyahu told a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations meeting in Jerusalem. He also suggested limiting the range of Iranian ballistic missiles, another key point of contention.
“There’s an MTCR limitation of 300 kilometers, and Iran is supposed to adhere to it,” he said. “Of course, it doesn’t.”
Geneva is expected to host a second round of Iran-US talks this week following indirect negotiations in Oman in early February. Trump is seeking an arrangement to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed for the Swiss city for the talks, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff are the US envoys, Reuters reported.
Trump told reporters on Friday that regime change would be the best outcome for Iran, ratcheting up pressure ahead of the talks. He earlier said negotiations with Iran could drag out for as long as a month.
The US president mobilized warships and fighter jets near Iran in response to a recent deadly crackdown by the regime there following mass protests, but he has since shifted his focus to Iran’s atomic capabilities.
The US and Israel struck nuclear facilities in Iran last year. While Trump at the time said the mission had obliterated the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, he has pushed for an agreement with the country in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
In a meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, Trump said that his preference was to reach a deal with Iran despite reservations by the Israeli leader.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
