Netanyahu sets red lines for nuclear deal as US–Iran talks move to Geneva

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on February 16 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 lays 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.

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, foreign ministry deputy director for economic diplomacy, was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

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.

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,” Netanyahu was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The Israeli PM added that he remained sceptical about a deal, but insisted that, at 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,"

‘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’

That posture has reinforced Tehran’s sense of urgency, even as it adopts a more conciliatory tone in public statements. Iranian officials have described readiness for “compromises” to revive a nuclear agreement — a marked shift in emphasis compared with earlier months.

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.

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.