Netanyahu sets red lines for nuclear deal as US–Iran talks move to Geneva
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges US President Donald Trump to demand that Iran dismantle its nuclear infrastructure as US-Iran talks shift to Geneva, with Tehran seeking an economically beneficial deal.
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Geneva on 16 February as Washington and Tehran prepared for a second round of nuclear talks this week, with Iranian officials signalling openness to an agreement that delivers tangible economic benefits.
The diplomatic push comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated his public demands for what any US-backed deal should include — and what it should not — warning that merely freezing uranium enrichment would be insufficient. Addressing the annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations on Sunday, Netanyahu said he raised his concerns directly with US President Donald Trump during a meeting last week.
The riders by Netanyahu also lay bare a widening gap between Israel’s maximalist position on Iran’s nuclear programme and Tehran’s effort to frame negotiations as an economic opportunity for both sides, even as the US increases military assets in the region.
Geneva talks gather pace as Iran signals economic terms
Araghchi’s arrival in Geneva comes amid renewed negotiations with the US that restarted earlier in 2026, aimed at preventing a fresh military confrontation and addressing the decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran, according to an Iranian diplomat quoted on Sunday, is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the United States that provides economic benefits for both sides — a formulation intended to increase the durability of any deal and to ensure that Washington sees quick returns.
“For the sake of an agreement's durability, it is essential that the U.S. also benefits in areas with high and quick economic returns,” Hamid Ghanbari, deputy director for economic diplomacy at Iran’s foreign ministry, told semi‑official Fars news agency.
Ghanbari said the discussions include “common interests in the oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments, and even aircraft purchases”, pointing to the breadth of Tehran’s proposed incentives.
Netanyahu demands dismantling, not restraint
In Geneva, negotiators are expected to focus on nuclear constraints, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. But Netanyahu’s remarks on Sunday suggested Israel is pressing for a deal structured around dismantlement — not limitation.
Speaking at the Jewish leaders’ conference, Netanyahu said he told Trump that any agreement must go beyond stopping enrichment and instead remove Iran’s ability to enrich uranium altogether.
“There shall be no enrichment capability - not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,” Reuters quoted Netanyahu.
The Israeli PM added that he remained sceptical about a deal, but insisted that, at a minimum, enriched material must leave Iran.
"There shall be no enrichment capability - not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,"
Israel lays out conditions: enrichment, missiles and the “axis of terror”
Netanyahu’s public posture crystallised into a set of conditions he has argued should define any agreement with Tehran. Those include:
- Enriched material out
- No enrichment capability
- Missile range capped
- Regular inspections
- Dismantle ‘axis of terror’
Netanyahu also framed the debate in broader ideological terms, arguing that Jewish communities must respond to rising hostility, particularly in the United States.
‘Minorities — whether it’s Blacks or gays or women — fought back… what we have to do as Jews… beginning with the United States, is to fight back’
US boosts regional posture as diplomacy continues
The diplomatic track is unfolding under the shadow of intensified US military preparations. The Trump administration has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region, according to US officials cited in a Reuters report, and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign should negotiations fail.
That posture has reinforced Tehran’s sense of urgency, even as it adopts a more conciliatory tone in public statements. Iranian officials have described their readiness to make “compromises” to revive a nuclear agreement — a marked shift in emphasis compared with earlier months.
Exiled Iranian crown prince calls for global demonstrations
The renewed diplomacy has also energised opposition voices outside Iran. Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince, called for massive demonstrations across major cities worldwide, particularly in response to what he described as a crackdown on protests driven by economic hardship.
In Munich, about 250,000 people held a protest demonstration in response to Pahlavi’s call against Iran’s government, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Netanyahu’s parallel message: Israel aims to reduce reliance on US funding
Netanyahu also used the address to sketch a longer-term vision for Israel’s strategic independence, saying he believed the country would not need financial support from the United States within a decade. He described the goal as building an independent arms industry, a shift he framed as both an economic and security imperative.
The remarks came as Washington continued to present Israel as a “model ally”, even while the Netanyahu government pressed the Trump administration to adopt tougher terms in any prospective nuclear agreement with Iran.