JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any new Iran nuclear deal must go far beyond a temporary pause in enrichment and instead require Tehran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure and ship out all enriched uranium, Feb. 15, 2026. Netanyahu’s comments came as U.S. and Iranian officials prepared for another round of indirect talks aimed at reviving diplomacy after months of heightened tensions.
Speaking to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Netanyahu framed Israel’s position as a set of nonnegotiable outcomes: no enrichment capability, removal of enriched material, and the dismantling of equipment and facilities that enable the program. He also argued that negotiations should address Iran’s ballistic missile program, which he has long cited as part of the broader threat Israel faces.
What Netanyahu says an Iran nuclear deal must include
Netanyahu said an Iran nuclear deal should require the full dismantlement of Iran’s enrichment capability — “not stopping the enrichment process” but removing the infrastructure that makes it possible, according to a Reuters report. He also said all enriched uranium “has to leave Iran,” a demand that would go beyond many past proposals that focused on caps, dilution, or monitoring.
The emphasis on an Iran nuclear deal that physically removes enriched uranium is tied to uncertainty about Iran’s stockpile and the status of key sites after strikes and sabotage accusations in recent years. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly pressed for improved access and verification, while diplomats and analysts have debated how quickly Iran could rebuild capability if equipment and know-how remain in place.
Talks resume as Iran says sanctions relief is key
Iran has signaled it wants sanctions relief in exchange for steps on enrichment. Iran’s atomic chief has said Tehran could consider diluting highly enriched uranium if all financial sanctions are lifted, according to Reuters. That approach clashes with Netanyahu’s insistence that any Iran nuclear deal must move the stockpile out of the country altogether and eliminate enrichment capacity rather than manage it.
The second round of indirect talks is expected to take place in Geneva, with Oman again serving as mediator, the Associated Press reported. Iran has maintained its program is peaceful, while U.S. officials have insisted Iran must not be allowed a pathway to a weapon.
Why the Iran nuclear deal debate keeps returning to enrichment and verification
The core dispute in the Iran nuclear deal debate remains whether Iran should be allowed any domestic enrichment — even under limits and inspections — or whether enrichment must be eliminated entirely. A separate Reuters account of Netanyahu’s recent discussions with U.S. officials said he has pushed for a broader framework that also addresses missiles and Iran’s regional alliances, though Tehran has resisted expanding talks beyond the nuclear file.
Verification has also become a flashpoint. The status of Iran’s enriched uranium and inspectors’ access to damaged or restricted sites has been a recurring concern in international reporting and agency statements, including a recent Reuters explainer on key facilities and monitoring challenges.
Continuity over time: Netanyahu’s long-running push on the Iran nuclear deal
Netanyahu’s latest demands mirror years of warnings that the Iran nuclear deal framework would leave Iran with an industrial base it could later expand. In 2018, Netanyahu publicly presented what he said was evidence of past Iranian weapons work while urging the United States to abandon the agreement, according to Reuters coverage.
Days later, then-President Donald Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, saying the agreement was “defective at its core,” in remarks archived by the White House. After that withdrawal, diplomats cycled through multiple efforts to revive or replace the pact, including indirect talks in Vienna in 2021, Reuters reported.
Those episodes, and the repeated starts and stops in diplomacy, have shaped today’s arguments over what an Iran nuclear deal can realistically enforce — and what happens if Iran retains key parts of its program even under new limits.
What comes next for the Iran nuclear deal talks
With negotiators heading into another round, officials face competing red lines: Tehran’s demand for meaningful sanctions relief and recognition of its right to enrichment, versus Israel’s push — echoed by Netanyahu — for an Iran nuclear deal that eliminates enrichment capacity, removes enriched uranium, and tackles missiles. Whether mediators can bridge those positions may determine not only the future of an Iran nuclear deal, but also whether the region heads toward de-escalation or another spike in confrontation.
