Alarmed by months of sabre-rattling and a possibility that Israel will make good on long-standing hints that it intends to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, he and President Barack Obama had softened their tone before the talks begin.

ECONOMIST: Iran

Over the past fortnight, a number of articles have appeared in Israeli newspapers claiming that the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the defence minister, Ehud Barak, have dusted off long-standing plans for a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

ECONOMIST: Israel squares up to Iran