Iran Issues at the Forefront of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump's Negotiations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, March 5, has stated that Iran-related issues will be at the top of his agenda during discussions at the White House. Netanyahu will also speak on Iran at the annual AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) meeting in Washington on Tuesday. This upcoming meeting will mark their fifth encounter in the past year. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu said on Saturday evening before leaving Tel Aviv, 'In this important trip... I will discuss Iran with President Trump, especially in light of critical decisions regarding the nuclear agreement (JCPOA).' The 120-day deadline that Trump has set for changes to the JCPOA will end on May 12, and the U.S. is expected to announce its final decision regarding this matter. Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, who recently visited Israel, stated in the Knesset that Washington will no longer certify the JCPOA. Meanwhile, according to Ynet, Netanyahu, who continues to firmly support the cancellation of the JCPOA, will also endorse a draft law to expand sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the AIPAC meeting on Tuesday. Following his speech at AIPAC, the Israeli Prime Minister will meet with leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to discuss the cancellation of the JCPOA, the imposition of tougher sanctions against Iran, and the establishment of mechanisms to counter 'Iran's military presence stabilization in Syria and its aggressive behavior in the region.' Ynet reports that Israel is very concerned that 'the U.S. is not sufficiently engaged in efforts to contain Iran and has left the field almost entirely to Russia in the region, which is seen as extremely problematic for Israel.' According to the report, Netanyahu will also raise Israel's concerns about the construction of precision-guided missiles for Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon. Iran and Syria have repeatedly emphasized that Iran's military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the legitimate Damascus government; Lebanon has also denied the existence of factories for precision missiles by Iran for Hezbollah on its soil. However, Israel is extremely worried about Hezbollah's actions and recently reacted strongly to the infiltration of an 'Iranian drone' from Syrian airspace into Israeli territory, while Iran and Syria stated that the drone did not belong to Iran. Nevertheless, the Israeli Prime Minister indicated at last month's Munich Security Conference that his country might respond directly to Iran. Israel stressed that the mentioned drone was a copy of an advanced drone that Iran seized from the U.S. seven years ago. Before leaving Israel for Washington, Netanyahu also stated that 'on behalf of the Israeli people, I will thank President Trump for the historic decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.' According to Israeli media, he will ask Trump to personally attend the opening ceremony of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, which will take place on May 14, coinciding with the celebrations of Israel's 70th anniversary. Concurrently with Netanyahu's presence in the U.S. capital, the annual AIPAC conference will begin on Sunday evening, Washington time, lasting three days. Although Donald Trump will not personally speak at the conference, his Vice President, Mike Pence, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, prominent congressional figures, and several other senior U.S. officials will be among the speakers. A large number of Israeli ministers and Knesset members have also traveled to Washington to participate in this year's AIPAC conference. According to the Jerusalem Post, both the Republican and Democratic parties in the U.S. will reaffirm congressional support for a law granting $38 billion in aid to Israel over a ten-year period, which was approved in the final months of Barack Obama's presidency. Meanwhile, a large-scale military exercise by the U.S. and Israel, known as 'Jennifer Cobra,' primarily aimed at practicing air defense for Israel, has begun in southern Israel. In this context, the Israeli army reported the 'downing of an Iranian drone' over the Golan Heights. Netanyahu stated: 'If necessary, we will act against Iran itself.' Rezaei warned: 'If Israel wants to do something, we will turn Tel Aviv to dust.' Pence reiterated: 'The U.S. will no longer certify the disastrous nuclear agreement with Iran.' Tillerson noted that progress has been made in garnering European support for sanctions against Iran. Pence added: 'The time for real changes in the JCPOA has come.' Netanyahu has called for Angela Merkel's assistance in reforming the Iran nuclear agreement.