US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will arrive in Israel on Tuesday for high-level meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, according to Axios, which
cited a senior American official.
The visit to Israel is part of a broader diplomatic push by the Trump administration to advance talks on the Russia-Ukraine war and to explore possible channels of communication with Iran.
An Axios journalist said on X that Witkoff will make a brief stop in Israel before travelling onward to Abu Dhabi, where he is scheduled to hold another round of discussions with Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Wednesday and Thursday.
Developments on the Iranian side also point to growing diplomatic activity. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Monday held discussions on the issue with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Axios reported.
🚨בכיר אמריקני אישר כי השליח האמריקני וויטקוף יגיע מחר לישראל וייפגש עם רה"מ נתניהו ובכירים נוספים
🚨וויטקוף עוצר בישראל בדרך לאבו דאבי שם יקיים בימים רביעי וחמישי סבב שיחות נוסף עם רוסיה ואוקראינה
🚨בשלב זה לא נקבעה עדיין פגישה עם האיראנים, אך המגעים בנושא נמשכים
🚨שר החוץ…— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) February 2, 2026
Separately, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that negotiations between Tehran and Washington are expected to begin in the coming days. The agency said the talks would most likely take place between Araqchi and US special envoy Witkoff.
Adding to the speculation, a senior Iranian official and a Western diplomat told Reuters that Witkoff and Araqchi could meet in Turkey within the coming days.
Iran is weighing the terms for resuming talks with the United States in the near future, a foreign ministry official said on Monday, as both sides signal a willingness to revive diplomacy over their long-running nuclear dispute.
Tehran and Washington have in recent days indicated that they are open to restarting negotiations in an effort to ease tensions and prevent the risk of another major conflict in West Asia.
