• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will speak with US President Donald Trump later Wednesday, emphasizing the shared goal of removing all enriched uranium from Iran and dismantling its enrichment capabilities.
  • The demand goes beyond caps or limits on enrichment, signaling a hardened US-Israel position that could complicate ongoing nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
  • The call comes amid heightened regional tensions and continued security coordination between Washington and Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he will hold a call with President Donald Trump later in the day, using the opportunity to reiterate a maximalist stance on Iran's nuclear program. "The most important Iran goal is to remove all enriched uranium and dismantle Iran's enrichment capabilities," Netanyahu told reporters, framing the position as one agreed upon with Trump.

This demand aligns with a broader US-Israel strategy of seeking a nuclear outcome that prevents Iran from maintaining any meaningful enrichment infrastructure, rather than simply capping enrichment levels or submitting to inspections. The position has been a sticking point in past negotiations, as Iran has long treated enrichment as a sovereign right.

The scheduled call comes as reports suggest Iran may be open to talks with the US, but any deal that requires Tehran to entirely abandon enrichment is likely to face stiff resistance from hardliners in Tehran. Without a shift in Iran's red lines, the current trajectory risks deepening deadlocks and raises the specter of parallel diplomatic and military contingencies.

A person familiar with the matter said Netanyahu has consistently pushed for a more aggressive stance on Iran during White House engagements. Attempts to reach the Iranian mission to the UN for comment on the new US-Israel position were unsuccessful.

Regional security analysts note that demanding elimination of enrichment capacity, rather than merely limits, escalates risks of confrontation. "This kind of language tends to produce sharper standoffs," one analyst said. "It makes it harder for diplomats to find middle ground."

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the call had already taken place. It is scheduled for later Wednesday.