Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington D.C. to meet with US president Donald Trump.
Trump will host Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East and negotiations intensify over curbing Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.
Netanyahu is expected to push President Trump to take a tougher stance in US nuclear talks with Iran.
He had originally planned to go to the US for a 19 February meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza, but reportedly brought his visit forward as the US-Iran talks proceeded.
BBC reports: Netanyahu is expected to press Trump to pursue a deal that would halt Iran’s uranium enrichment, and rein in its support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
“I will present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations,” Netanyahu told reporters before leaving for the US.
Iran has said it will not limit uranium enrichment unless Western nations scale back sanctions that have severely strained its economy.
Netanyahu’s visit on Wednesday marks his sixth trip to the US since Trump’s return to office – more than any other world leader.
A close Trump ally, Netanyahu has long argued that Iran represents an existential security threat to Israel and has pushed the US to curb Tehran’s influence in the region.
“The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement ahead of his trip.
The visit comes as the US increases its military presence in the Middle East, with Trump warning Tehran of action if it fails to strike a nuclear deal.
On Tuesday, the president said that he was “thinking” about sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was sent to the region last month after Trump threatened to strike Iran to stop a government crackdown on mass protests in which thousands of people were killed.
“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump said in an interview with Axios. Trump said Iran “wants to make a deal very badly”, adding that a diplomatic solution remains possible.
Israeli officials have also said the country reserves the right to take military action against Iran if it doesn’t reach a nuclear agreement with the US.