Iran says Israel seeks to derail US talks as military pressure builds

Iran says Israel is trying to derail US nuclear talks as Washington signals diplomacy but keeps military pressure in play.

MENA

3 min read

The New Arab Staff

12 February, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels from Blair House to the White House ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has hinted at the possibility of deploying a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East despite hopes of second round of talks with Iran [Getty]

Iran has accused Israel of trying to sabotage fragile negotiations with the US over Tehran's nuclear programme, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington on Wednesday.

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said Israel had been "fabricating pretexts" to derail the negotiations, after reports that Tehran had engaged in talks with Israeli officials.

"Israel has inserted itself into this process with the intent of undermining and sabotaging these negotiations," Larijani said during a visit to Qatar on Wednesday.

“Our negotiations are exclusively with the United States – we are not engaged in any talks with Israel,” he said

During his trip to Doha, Larijani also met Hamas leadership council head Mohammed Darwish to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and rising Iran-US tensions, according to a Hamas statement.

The Supreme National Security Council official added that Israel's strategy was "to destabilise the region".

Reports suggest Netanyahu urged a tougher line on Iran, pressing Washington to include Tehran’s ballistic missile arsenal in any agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington on Wednesday for talks with President Donald Trump focused on negotiations with Tehran, in what appears to be a direct attempt to steer the US administration away from its current course.

In an interview with The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Iranian Defence Council chief Ali Shamkhani said Tehran's missile programme was "non-negotiable" and a "red line", with reports that Israel wants this issue on the table during the US-Iran talks.

He said Iran's missile capabilities form part of its "defensive deterrent system", particularly after last June's joint Israeli-American bombing campaign against Iranian targets.

Ali Shamkhani to The New Arab: Iran's missiles 'not negotiable'

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The New Arab Staff

Responding to Netanyahu's comments, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "nothing definitive" had been reached, apart from his insistence that negotiations with Iran continue "to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated".

Iran and the US held a first round of indirect talks in Oman last week, despite clear differences over the scope of any agreement. Larijani said a second round was being planned, though no date had been set.

The threat of US strikes remains in the background. If no deal is reached, Trump warned: "We will just have to see what the outcome will be", referencing last year's US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The US military build-up in the region is continuing, with Trump signalling on Wednesday that a second aircraft carrier could be deployed to the Gulf.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon has instructed another carrier strike group, likely the USS George H.W. Bush -currently stationed off the US East Coast - to prepare to head to the area.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has already been sent to the region in recent weeks, alongside additional warships and air defence systems.