UPDATE - US envoy Witkoff meets Israeli prime minister for talks on Iran

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Lina Altawell and Rania Abushamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday for talks on Iran, Israeli media reported.

The meeting was also attended by the heads of Israel’s security agencies, Netanyahu’s office told The Times of Israel news portal.

The meeting was held shortly after Witkoff arrived in Israel for talks with senior officials there on the Iranian issue and the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.

Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday for talks on Iran’s nuclear program.

The talks come amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, fueled by an American military buildup in the Persian Gulf and repeated threats of military action by Trump.

In recent days, several countries have stepped in and offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions, with Türkiye playing a particularly active role.