Israeli and American delegations to the United Nations have in recent days examined the possibility of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helping U.S. President Donald Trump chair a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
Netanyahu is expected to depart Monday for the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York.
He is scheduled to arrive in New York on Tuesday, the day Trump is scheduled to address the forum, marking the start of the General Debate, a several-day event in which leaders of member states take the podium to discuss a range of global issues.
During his speech on Tuesday at the General Assembly, the U.S. president is expected to reiterate his warning that anyone who does business with Iran will be blacklisted by the U.S. and banned from trading with U.S. companies.
Trump's speech may also shed light on the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan his team has been working on for more than 18 months, although the U.S. has repeatedly insisted it will be unveiled only once it is complete.
The U.S. currently holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council and has used its authority to schedule a special counter-proliferation session of the council.
The White House initially planned to make Iran's aggression the official topic of the meeting, but ultimately decided against it as this would have given Iran's representatives the right to participate in the meeting and deliver remarks.
Trump, who last May pulled out of the previous administrations' nuclear deal with Iran, will chair the meeting. He is expected to focus on increasing pressure on the Islamic republic, condemning its belligerence in the region and discussing the ramifications of quitting the nuclear accord.
Netanyahu will also meet with other world leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The prime minister is currently scheduled to address the forum on Thursday night (Israel time), although the Israeli delegation is trying to move the speech to an earlier time.
Trump and Netanyahu will meet on Wednesday, the same day, as stated, that the U.S. president is set to preside over the Security Council.
The Netanyahu-Trump summit will be held against the backdrop of a recent spike in tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow. A Russian military plane was downed last week off the coast of Latakia by Syrian air defenses attempting to repel an Israeli aerial strike, leading to the death of 15 Russian crew members.
Trump and Netanyahu have met several times since the American president took office in 2017, but this will be the first time they meet since the Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement. In about six weeks, a second wave of U.S. sanctions is set to be reimposed on Iran.
Netanyahu and Trump see eye-to-eye on Iran, and both hope new sanctions will ultimately force Tehran to accept an upgraded agreement that would not only limit Iran's nuclear aspirations but would also restrict its missile program and terrorist activities, which both Israel and the U.S. view as a global threat.
According U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, Trump will mention Iran's "violations of international law" and the "general instability" that Iran is creating across the Middle East.
According to a draft version of his remarks, obtained by USA Today, Trump will use next week's Security Council special session to pressure member states to punish aggressors. "The Security Council has regularly adopted resolutions to counter WMD threats," but those resolutions "are often flouted without penalty," Trump is expected to say.
Trump has recently said he was open to meeting with Iran's leaders in order to discuss a new nuclear accord. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to attend next week's general debate but no meetings have been announced between Iranian and U.S. officials.
