Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure to be dismantled, as talks between the US and Iran were said to be moving in a positive direction following the third round of indirect negotiations in Oman over the weekend.
The negotiations, aimed at sealing a deal blocking Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon but also lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed by Washington, are expected to continue to a fourth round in the coming days.
Speaking at the Jewish News Syndicate policy conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu stressed that Tehran could not be allowed to continue enriching uranium, should it reach a deal with the US, and warned that, as far as Israel is concerned, “a real deal that works is one that removes Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.”
“Dismantle all the infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear program. That is a deal we can live with,” said Netanyahu, predicting that if the two sides were to agree on a deal that is too lenient, Iran would simply run out the clock and wait for the end of US President Donald Trump’s term before picking back up where it left off.
While Iran says it opposes nuclear arms, the country has accelerated production of 60%-enriched uranium, an enrichment rate far above what is needed for civilian uses and a short technical step away from weapons-grade uranium.
In addition to the issue of enriched uranium, Netanyahu suggested that Iran’s ballistic missile production capabilities should be included in the negotiations as well.
He told the conference that he had presented his position on the matter to Trump, and was in close contact with the US on the subject.
“A bad deal is worse than no deal,” the premier said, arguing that the “only good deal” would be one modeled on the deal that Libya agreed to in 2003, under which Tehran’s entire nuclear program, both military and civilian, would be dismantled completely.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the JNS conference in Jerusalem, April 27, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
It was unclear, however, exactly how much Netanyahu’s position aligns with that of the US, and speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump did not appear to share any of his concerns.
“On the Iran situation, I think we’re doing very well,” said the US president. “I think a deal is going to be made there.”
We’ll have something without having to start dropping bombs all over the place,” he added.
While Trump has repeatedly threatened that the US could potentially unleash airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear program should negotiations fail, he has made it clear that he prefers to first exhaust all diplomatic channels before turning to a military solution.
To that end, in a Time Magazine interview published Friday, Trump addressed recent reports that he had dissuaded Israel from striking Iran’s nuclear sites in the near term.
US President Donald Trump raises a fist as he steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on April 27, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
He told Time that he had not blocked Israel’s plans outright when Jerusalem proposed a series of joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, but acknowledged that he “didn’t make it comfortable for them to proceed.”
“Ultimately, I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped,” he said.
Not entirely on board with the US’s preference for negotiations, on a recent trip to Washington, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was said by the Washington Post to have pressed top officials to consider deploying powerful “bunker buster” bombs against Iran’s fortified nuclear sites.
Israel is said to be deeply concerned that the US is closing in on a “bad deal” with Iran that will not meet Jerusalem’s stated essential conditions for ensuring the regime cannot attain nuclear weapons. Channel 12 news reported that Israel believes the negotiations are “very, very advanced,” and that the US is not sharing enough information with Israel on key specific issues.
Netanyahu, according to reports, was only informed of the US’s new talks with Iran — the highest-level engagement between the long-time foes since 2018 — hours before Trump announced them to the world, and thus failed to gain assurances that Israel’s demands would be met at the negotiating table.
Earlier this month, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff appeared to indicate that the US was looking to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment rather than dismantle its nuclear program altogether. He was then contradicted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, who said that the deal Washington is seeking would prevent Iran from enriching any uranium at all.
Rubio’s Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi has called the issue of enrichment “non-negotiable.”
Agencies contributed to this report.
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