Netanyahu's Iran Power Play: Maximum Pressure and Middle East Shifts

Bibi Netanyahu BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dominated headlines this week with his high-stakes Washington whirlwind, landing on February 11 aboard the Wings of Zion for back-to-back power plays amid U.S.-Iran talks in Oman. ILTV Israel News reports he first huddled with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, per the U.S. State Department schedule, then met presidential advisor Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff before a White House sit-down with President Donald Trump—their seventh since Trump's inauguration, an unprecedented tally highlighted by Jewish Dallas and Israeli media. There, according to Axios via Anadolu Agency, the duo inked a pact to ramp up economic pressure on Iran, zeroing in on its oil sales to China to squeeze Tehran while keeping military strikes on the table; Netanyahu pushed hard for any deal to curb not just nukes but ballistic missiles, warning Iran could rebuild thousands in months, as ILTV detailed from his intelligence briefings.

Backlash buzzed as Israeli outlets noted Bibi slipped into the White House via a back entrance dodging protests, per Middle East Monitor. Stateside sources like the Israeli Embassy confirmed the Trump huddle wrapped with vows of maximum pressure, though Trump eyed a deal while Netanyahu scoffed at reliability. Fresh off that, on February 15, DWS News captured his fiery Jerusalem Summit speech, demanding Iran scrap enriched uranium and allow full inspections, while vowing to crush Hamas's military in Gaza and touting Israel's economic boom despite war.

Domestically, Times of Israel quoted a top Netanyahu aide giving Hamas 60 days to disarm or face IDF completion of the mission, tying into phase-two Gaza reconstruction stalls. In a bold first, ILTV says Bibi signed orders revoking citizenship and deporting two Israeli-Arabs convicted of terror attacks against Israelis, signaling more to come. Looking ahead, Connected to India buzzes with his announcement of Indian PM Modi's February 25-26 Israel visit. No major social media flares or public pops beyond these, but this Iran pivot could etch lasting legacy lines in his biography.

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