Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London on Tuesday, two senior officials told Channel 13 on Sunday.
The meeting is set to take place during the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance summit in Britain.
The premier is expected to stay in London for two days and convene with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, among other leaders.
One topic expected to be raised with Pompeo and the other heads of state is recent developments in Iran. The Islamic Republic has reportedly breached the 2015 nuclear deal and comments being made lately by European leaders on re-examining the need to place sanctions on Tehran.
However, Channel 13 reports, the visit is highly unusual as Netanyahu is currently serving as interim prime minister and due to the fact that Israel could go to third elections in less than a week after the scheduled trip.
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu slammed the European powers a day after six European states joined the INSTEX barter mechanism that was designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
In a video statement uploaded to social media, the prime minister said that European countries “should be ashamed of themselves” for seeking to trade with Iran. He says the countries were enabling Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Last week, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden said they were joining INSTEX, a body designed to facilitate European trade with Iran.
INSTEX was created by Germany, France and Britain to coordinate import and export payments so European companies can do business with Iran despite U.S. pressure, and thereby convince Tehran to stick to a 2015 deal that limits its nuclear efforts.
Iran has given INSTEX a cool reception in part because it doesn’t include vital oil trade.