Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday (February 11, 2026), seeking to press him to adopt a tougher line on Iran’s ballistic missile programme in the next round of talks.

It will be their sixth meeting in the United States since Mr. Trump returned to office a year ago. They also met in Jerusalem in October when Mr. Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

The meeting comes days after arch-foes Iran and the United States held talks in Oman, after which Mr. Trump said another round of negotiations would follow.

Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Trump will also meet amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from its Palestinian owners.

However, it remains unclear whether the issue will be raised in their talks, despite Mr. Trump’s past opposition to any annexation of the West Bank.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office said he will highlight Israel’s concerns over Iran’s missile arsenal in discussions with Mr. Trump, and not just the nuclear programme.

He “believes any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis”, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said over the weekend, referring to Iran’s allies in the region.

So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the U.S. beyond the nuclear issue, though Washington also wants Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups on the table.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned Tuesday (February 10, 2026) that Mr. Netanyahu’s visit would have a “destructive” influence on diplomacy that is “detrimental to the region”.

Israel’s concerns came to a head during an unprecedented war between the two longtime adversaries in June last year.

Since then, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that Iran’s missile capabilities pose a threat distinct from, and in some ways more immediate than, its nuclear programme.

Israeli officials argue that Iran could strike Israel with little warning and also overwhelm the country’s air-defence systems in a sustained conflict.

During the June war, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.

Those that landed in densely populated areas “caused severe damage,” said Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.

“I don’t think it’s like existential threat, but definitely it’s a major threat on the Israeli home front.”

Missiles a ‘red line’

Analysts say Netanyahu is very wary of any deal with the Iranians.

“He’s concerned that President Trump is not quite as enthusiastic about a military attack on the Iranians as Netanyahu wishes were the case,” said Guy Ziv, an associate professor at the foreign policy and global security department at American University in Washington.

“He wants to first convince President Trump that Iran’s ballistic missiles, which he sees as a major threat to Israel, must be included in any agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme.”

“He wants to make sure that… Trump sees that as a red line as well,” Mr. Ziv told AFP.

“For Netanyahu, the maximalist objective is clear: regime change (in Iran) or at the very least the complete dismantling of nuclear and missile capabilities,” geopolitical analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP.

The 12-day war in June was triggered by unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as residential areas.

The United States later joined the offensive, striking three Iranian nuclear sites, before a ceasefire brokered by Mr. Trump came into force.

In Israel, the war killed 30 people and caused extensive damage to property, including a hospital and several public institutions.

In October 2024 Iran fired a barrage of some 200 missiles at Israel in response to the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah.

In April 2024, amid the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, Iran — a key backer of the Palestinian Islamist group — launched its first-ever drone and missile attack on Israel.

That strike was in retaliation for a deadly attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus days earlier, which Tehran blamed on Israel.

Published – February 10, 2026 04:04 pm IST

New Delhi:

Iran on Tuesday fired 200 missiles, including hypersonic weapons, at Israel as tensions in the Middle East reach breaking point. Israel has vowed that Iran will “pay” for the attack. But relations between the two countries were not always sour. Unthinkable as it may sound, Israel and Iran had collaborated, with help from the United States, to fight a common enemy. 

In the 1960s, both Israel and Iran found a mutual adversary in Iraq. While Israel was locked in a broader struggle against hostile Arab regimes, Iran, under the Shah, viewed Iraq’s leadership as a direct threat to its security and regional ambitions. This laid the groundwork for one of the most secretive partnerships of the era, involving the Mossad – Israel’s intelligence agency – and SAVAK – Iran’s secret police – both of which played key roles in bolstering Kurdish insurgents against the central Iraqi regime. These Kurdish groups, seen as the Achilles’ heel of Iraq’s Arab nationalist leadership, were crucial to undermining the Iraqi government from within.

The cooperation between Israel and Iran reached new heights with the formation of a trilateral intelligence alliance code-named Trident, which also included Turkey. Beginning in 1958, Trident saw these three non-Arab powers exchange critical intelligence and engage in joint counterintelligence operations. As the relationship matured, Israel and Iran became even closer, forming deep military and intelligence ties that extended well into the Shah’s reign.

The Shah’s Ambitions And Israel’s Influence

The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was driven not only by shared geopolitical interests but by a belief in Israel’s influence in Washington. The Shah saw Israel as a potential means for enhancing relations with the United States, especially after the Kennedy administration voiced concerns about his authoritarian rule.

The burgeoning Israeli-Iranian relationship became a key feature of Iran’s strategy to align itself with the West, resulting in the establishment of a permanent Israeli delegation in Tehran by the mid-1960s, which functioned as a de facto embassy.

The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with US President Jimmy Carter
Photo Credit: Getty

However, the relationship was not without complications. The Shah, aware of the widespread anti-Israeli sentiment across the Arab world, carefully managed the public face of Iran’s relationship with Israel. While he became more critical of Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War, his strategic interests continued to outweigh ideological or diplomatic positions.

Cooperation In The Shadows

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran drastically changed the country’s political landscape, transforming it into an anti-Israel Islamic Republic. Yet, even after Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power, the new regime found itself quietly collaborating with Israel, driven once again by common enemies. As the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) dragged on, both countries recognised the advantage of working together against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

Israel, too, saw an opportunity in aiding Iran. In particular, it viewed Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as a more immediate and dangerous threat to its security, given Baghdad’s ambitions for regional dominance and its pursuit of nuclear capabilities. Iraq’s formidable military, supplied by both the United States and the Soviet Union, posed a risk, and Israel’s shipment of arms to Iran – particularly after Prime Minister Menachem Begin approved the sale of military equipment in 1980 – was a calculated decision to undermine Iraq’s strength.

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (L) chats to Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat at his home where the ministers discussed events in Iran in 1979.
Photo Credit: Getty

These covert arms deals were conducted despite US policy that barred military support for Iran until the release of American hostages held in Tehran. In exchange for Israeli military aid, Khomeini’s regime allowed a significant number of Iranian Jews to emigrate to Israel or the United States, a concession that underscored the pragmatic nature of the relationship.

The Iran-Contra Affair

By the mid-1980s, Iran’s need for military support reached a critical point. The Iran-Iraq War had drained the country’s resources, and its economy was teetering on the brink of collapse. It was against this backdrop that the Iran-Contra affair unfolded – a secretive, high-stakes operation involving arms sales facilitated by Israel, with the backing of senior Ronald Reagan administration officials, to secure the release of American hostages held by Iran-sponsored Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Algeria’s President Houri Boumedienne, (center), is flanked by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran, (left), and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, (right) in 1975.
Photo Credit: Getty

For Israel, these arms deals were lucrative and strategically valuable, further enhancing its role as a clandestine ally of Iran in its war against Iraq. Iran, desperate for arms and resources, was willing to engage with both Israel and the United States, even as it continued to publicly vilify Israel. 

The Secret Missile Project: Operation Flower

The Israeli-Iranian partnership extended beyond conventional arms deals. One of the most ambitious projects was Operation Flower, a secret multibillion-dollar initiative that began in 1977 under the Shah’s regime. The project involved the modification of surface-to-surface missiles, potentially capable of being fitted with nuclear warheads, for sale to Iran. However, the nuclear aspect of the project was not pursued.

As part of the deal, Iran made a substantial down payment in 1978 by sending $260 million worth of oil to Israel, a New York Times report from 1986 claimed. Work on the missile program continued until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, after which Khomeini’s regime abruptly halted the collaboration. 

Spare Tyres For F-4 Fighter Jets

Israel covertly supplied Iran with 250 spare tyres for American-made F-4 fighter jets in October 1980, as Iran waged war against Iraq, according to a New York Times report from 1981. 

After Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in September 1980, Israel found itself in an unusual position. The Israeli sale of 250 retreaded tires, valued at around $300,000, was a secretive transaction aimed at bolstering Iran’s air force. The F-4 Phantom jets, a key component of Iran’s military, had been grounded due to wear and tear. With no immediate access to parts due to the embargo placed by the US on Iran, Israel stepped in to fill the gap. According to the New York Times, retreaded tyres were produced in Israel and then covertly transported to France, where they were flown to Iran on chartered planes.

The Shah of Iran, in St. Louis to discuss buying F-4 Phantom jets built by McDonnel Douglas aircraft company.
Photo Credit: Getty

The transaction occurred during a delicate period for US-Iran relations, with 52 American diplomats still held hostage in Tehran. The Jimmy Carter administration, keen to secure their release, urged Israel to suspend further military deals with Iran until the hostages were freed. According to officials involved, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to American pressure and paused all military dealings, despite Israeli strategic interests in preventing an Iraqi victory in the war.

Beyond regional power politics, Israel had a more personal concern: the fate of the Jewish population in Iran. At the time, approximately 60,000 Jews lived in Iran, and there were growing fears in Israel that they could become targets of repression or persecution under the new regime. Maintaining some form of back-channel communication with Iran was seen as a way to protect these Jewish communities.

Hostility And Rivalry 

By the 1990s, the era of cooperation between Israel and Iran had all but evaporated. The geopolitical factors that had once united them -Arab socialism, Soviet influence, and the threat of Iraq – had disappeared, leaving little incentive for continued collaboration. Iran, now firmly under the control of its revolutionary government, embraced an anti-Israel ideology, supporting groups like Hezbollah and Hamas in their conflicts with the Jewish state.

By the early 2000s, the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose Holocaust denial and aggressive rhetoric against Israel stoked tensions further, cemented Iran as Israel’s most prominent adversary in the region. As Israel fought wars with Hezbollah in 2006 and Hamas in 2008, Iranian support for these non-state actors – collectively termed the ‘Axis Of Resistance’ – became a central concern in Israel’s strategic calculations.

2024 And Threat Of All-Out War

Ties between Iran and Israel are now non-existent. The two Middle Eastern countries are now on the brink of all-out war, evidenced by Israel’s multi-frontal conflict against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen. All three of these armed militant groups are part of Iran’s ‘Axis Of Resistance’.