The Israeli government is reportedly concerned that upcoming direct negotiations between the United States and Iran could lead to an agreement that fails to protect the Jewish state's core security interests, according to sources cited by Al-Monitor.
On Tuesday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defense officials. During these meetings, Witkoff attempted to convince the Israeli leadership that Washington would maintain a firm line during the talks. However, the mission reportedly failed to ease tensions in Jerusalem. Netanyahu urged the American envoy not to trust Tehran’s diplomatic overtures and pointed to the preference for a military scenario regarding Tehran.
The Israeli leadership is particularly wary that Washington might narrow the scope of the negotiations to Iran's nuclear program alone, leaving the issue of ballistic missiles and other threats to Israel off the table. The choice of Oman as the venue has also alarmed Israel, recalling the 2013 secret talks held there that bypassed Israeli input and led to the original nuclear deal, the results of which caused significant dissatisfaction within the Israeli government.
A source cited by the portal emphasized that this time Israel wants to be present at the meeting and kept in the loop.
Reports from Axios indicate that US-Iran negotiations are scheduled to take place in Oman on February 6, 2026. On January 26, US President Donald Trump announced that a "massive armada" of the US Navy was heading toward the Islamic Republic. Trump expressed hope that Tehran would agree to a "fair and equitable" deal involving the "complete renunciation of nuclear weapons."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS