
Rubio plans to update Netanyahu on U.S.-Iran talks in Israel next week, officials say
The Hindu
Marco Rubio will update Netanyahu on U.S.-Iran nuclear talks during his visit to Israel next week, officials reveal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel next week to update Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, two Trump administration officials said.
Mr. Rubio is expected to meet with Netanyahu on February 28, according to the officials, who spoke Wednesday (February 18, 2026) on condition of anonymity to detail travel plans that have not yet been announced.
The U.S. and Iran recently have held two rounds of indirect talks over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Officials from both sides publicly offered some muted optimism about progress this week, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi even saying that “a new window has opened” for reaching an agreement.
“In some ways, it went well,” U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said about the talks in an interview Tuesday (February 17, 2026) with Fox News Channel. “But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”
Mr. Netanyahu visited the White House last week to urge President Donald Trump to ensure that any deal about Iran's nuclear programme also include steps to neutralise Iran's ballistic missile program and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Mr. Trump is weighing whether to take military action against Tehran as the administration surges military resources to the region, raising concerns that any attack could spiral into a larger conflict in the Middle East.













