Larijani says US should not let 'destructive' Netanyahu dictate Iran talks

Iran's top national security official has warned the United States against allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shape nuclear negotiations with Tehran, as the Israeli premier rushed to Washington for talks with President Donald Trump.

In an English-language post on X on Tuesday, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Americans should "act rationally" and not allow Netanyahu, "as he poses for photos before his departure", to give the impression that he is travelling to Washington to instruct the US on how to manage nuclear negotiations.

Larijani added that US officials should remain alert to the "destructive role played by Zionists", a reference to Israel, as Netanyahu seeks to influence ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.

Netanyahu travelled to the US on Tuesday for a sudden three-day visit aimed at pressing Israel's position on Iran during discussions with Trump.

Speaking before his departure, the Israeli prime minister, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, said he would present "Israel's vision" for the negotiations, saying that the issue of Iran was the central focus of his talks with the US president.

The comments came as Larijani visited Oman for a series of high-level meetings as part of Tehran's regional consultations following the first round of indirect US-Iran talks held in Muscat on Friday.

According to Iran's Nour News, Larijani met with Mohammed Abdul Salam, the spokesperson of Yemen's Houthis, also known locally as the Ansar Allah movement, on Tuesday evening in Muscat.

Earlier in the day, Larijani held a three-hour meeting with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, which sources close to the Iranian delegation described as "positive and constructive". He also met Oman's foreign minister to discuss issues of mutual concern.

The visit comes just days after indirect talks between Iran and the United States, which Trump described as "very good", saying both sides had shown a willingness to continue negotiations and were expected to meet again next week.

The Associated Press reported that Larijani was likely carrying Tehran's response to the first round of talks during his regional tour.

Iran's former parliamentary speaker, Larijani, has in recent weeks visited several countries, including Russia, Pakistan and Iraq.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Tuesday that Larijani's visit to Oman was part of routine consultations carried out by the national security council secretary and did not involve meetings with US officials.

Baghaei said the Oman visit, along with an upcoming trip to Qatar, had been planned in advance and should be seen within Iran's broader policy of strengthening relations with neighbouring countries and reinforcing good-neighbourly ties.

While Iran has insisted that talks focus strictly on its nuclear programme and the lifting of Western sanctions, Washington has demanded a complete halt to uranium enrichment, and has sought to expand negotiations to include Iran's missile programme and its regional allies, conditions Tehran has repeatedly rejected.

Iran has warned that the US administration and Israel are manufacturing pretexts for military escalation and regime change, saying it would respond to any attack, even if limited.