{"id":280847,"date":"2026-02-08T16:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/280847\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T16:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:50:09","slug":"minister-says-ahead-of-netanyahus-rushed-us-vi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/280847\/","title":{"rendered":"minister says ahead of Netanyahu\u2019s rushed US vi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel\u2019s energy and infrastructure minister and a member of the security Cabinet, Eli Cohen<\/a>, said Sunday that there is \u201cno point\u201d in negotiating with Iran, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> moves up a planned trip to Washington<\/a> in an effort to influence U.S. talks with Tehran.<\/p>\n

In an interview with ynet, Cohen said the core message Israel seeks to convey goes beyond specific negotiating clauses. \u201cThere is no point in holding negotiations with Iran,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has never honored any commitment it has made, and even if it agrees to all the clauses, it will only be for a limited period. Once the pressure passes, it will return to its old ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, REUTERS\/Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool\/Kevin Lamarque, Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Cohen said U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> wants to keep all options on the table and suggested that if Trump ultimately decides to strike, assuming Iran does not accept his conditions, such a move would increase international legitimacy for military action against Iran. He added that regime change in Tehran is \u201cfirst and foremost in the interest of the Iranian people,\u201d as well as neighboring Muslim countries and the broader international community, saying that many regional states express that view privately.<\/p>\n

Cohen warned that if any agreement fails to restrict Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program, \u201cIsrael is a sovereign state and must act to protect its security interests.\u201d He said that if a threat to Israel emerges and action is required, \u201cwe will act.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also addressed a planned Trump-backed Board of Peace<\/a> on Gaza<\/a>, which Netanyahu is expected to skip, saying there can be no discussion of reconstruction or diplomatic frameworks until Hamas is disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized. \u201cUntil that happens, there is nothing to talk about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cohen added that in previous discussions between Netanyahu and Trump, it was agreed that a defined period would be given for a multinational force to act against Hamas. \u201cBased on a fairly realistic assessment that such a force will not succeed in disarming Hamas, we will be required to do so ourselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Lev Radin \/Shutterstock, AP, Haim Goldberg\/ Flash90 SATELLITE IMAGE \u00a92025 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES \/ AFP, Getmilitaryphotos\/ Shutterstock, Reuters\/ Alexander Cornwell)<\/p>\n

Earlier, retired Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror also commented on the nuclear negotiations, telling ynet that \u201cthey have only just begun.\u201d He said Israel has experience with \u201cbad agreements\u201d and must do everything possible to prevent a repeat. \u201cIf that requires Netanyahu to travel to the United States, so be it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Amidror said the main concern is what could happen if the Americans are not firm in their demands. \u201cWe are not managing the negotiations, so we need to reach the president and make our position clear,\u201d he said. Given the stakes, he added, it is critical that Washington fully understand Israel\u2019s concerns. On a possible strike against Iran, Amidror said the United States must understand that if Israel feels its interests are not protected, it will consider how to respond. \u201cAfter the last conflict with Iran, it is clear Israel can strike on its own. It is preferable to do so in coordination with the Americans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Araghchi: Witkoff and Kushner? \u2018Just exchanged greetings\u2019<\/p>\n

The latest round of talks in Oman ended Friday, with both sides agreeing to hold another round soon. Netanyahu\u2019s trip was moved up amid a sense of urgency and concern that Trump could retreat from red lines.<\/p>\n

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the talks, held with the support of friendly governments in the region, marked a step forward. \u201cDialogue has always been our strategy for achieving a peaceful solution,\u201d he said, adding that Iran\u2019s nuclear position is based on rights enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. \u201cThe Iranian people always respond to respect with respect. They will not tolerate the language of threats and force.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the talks, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, a move widely seen as a warning to Iran. US Central Command posted photos from the ship on X with the caption, \u201cPeace through Strength!\u201d<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led Tehran\u2019s negotiating team, responded by saying that the US \u201cpeace through strength\u201d doctrine \u201creturns us to the law of the jungle.\u201d He said deploying a fleet to the region to apply pressure would not weaken Iran or force it to abandon its positions.<\/p>\n

Amid reports that he held a direct meeting in Oman with Witkoff and Kushner, Araghchi said it amounted to \u201cjust an exchange of greetings.\u201d \u201cThe substance of the negotiations is what matters,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether the format is direct or indirect is not important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Araghchi said Iran insists on its right to a nuclear program, even if that leads to war. \u201cWe insist on uranium enrichment because no one has the right to dictate to us what we should do or demand that we reduce enrichment to zero,\u201d he said. \u201cThey attacked our nuclear facilities but did not achieve their goal. The only option left to them is negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n

On US sanctions, Araghchi said they raise doubts about Washington\u2019s seriousness. He said confidence-building steps regarding Iran\u2019s nuclear program are possible in exchange for sanctions relief. \u201cWe are capable of diplomacy and capable of war, although we do not want it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey think that if they attack us, we will surrender. That will not happen. If the other side chooses diplomacy, we will choose the same path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s military chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi, who said Saturday that his forces are at the highest level of readiness, said Sunday that \u201cdespite our full preparedness, we do not want to start a regional war.\u201d He warned that Washington and Tel Aviv would be responsible for any consequences of such a conflict.<\/p>\n

Iranian army commander Amir Hatami said Iran is closely monitoring \u201cenemy movements\u201d and is ready to respond decisively to any aggression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s energy and infrastructure minister and a member of the security Cabinet, Eli Cohen, said Sunday that there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-280847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}