Netanyahu seeks to persuade Trump to end Iran enrichment, diplomats say
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek to persuade the Trump administration during a visit to Washington to push for the complete dismantling of Iran’s uranium enrichment program, diplomatic sources in the Middle East told Iran International.
Israel believes that if the Islamic Republic is allowed to retain even a small part of its nuclear program, the sources added, it could rapidly resume enrichment once Trump’s presidency ends or anytime it deems conditions favorable.
The diplomats told Iran International that Israel assesses that Tehran’s sole aim in pursuing talks with the United States is to preserve its enrichment program.
The Israeli prime minister is meeting the US president at the White House, with Iran's nuclear issue among the key focuses of their negotiations, according to Netanyahu's office.
Netanyahu will not advise American officials against engaging in negotiations with Iran, the diplomats told Iran International, but he will urge them to make any talks conditional on the enrichment program's total end.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported that Netanyahu believes the chances of a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington are extremely low but will present to Trump today how "a good deal should look like".
"Netanyahu wants the Libya model. Full dismantling of Iran's nuclear program", the report said, citing an Israeli official referring to a 2003 decision by Libya's leader Muammar Qadaffi to surrender weapons of mass destruction.
The veteran autocrat was deposed and killed in a Western-backed uprising in 2011.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Washington can only dream of an agreement with Iran similar to the 2003 deal with Libya.
His comments came after Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the deal President Trump wants with Iran would be one that neutralizes Tehran's threat completely.
"He prefers a deal like Libya cut with the United States in 2003," Cotton said in an interview posted on X.
