Israel is calling for Tehran and Washington to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program after reporting a positive third round.
Iran has accused Israel of “brave” trying to avoid negotiations as talks with the US appears to be ongoing on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “decided what President Trump (Donald) can do through diplomacy with Iran.”
In response to the third round of US-Iran negotiations, which appears to be gaining momentum in Oman over the weekend, Netanyahu has repeatedly made demands to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
The Israeli fantasy that Iran can decide what Iran might do is so separate from reality that it is not worthy of a response.
What’s impressive, however, is that President Trump is now bravely dictating what he can and cannot do with diplomacy with Iran.
– April 28, 2025, Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi)
Araguchi had previously expressed “cautious” optimism after talks with US Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov through Oman on Saturday.
The negotiations aim to prevent Iran from using its nuclear program to develop weapons. Instead, Tehran receives relief from international sanctions.
According to Reuters, senior US officials reported “more progress” over the weekend.
However, the talks put Israel on alert. Netanyahu claimed late Sunday that the only “good deal” coming out of the talks was the removal of “all (Iran’s nuclear) infrastructure.”
The Israeli leader, who refused to rule out attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, said he told Trump that the nuclear deal he reached with Iran should also hamper Tehran’s ballistic missile development.
Trump, who threatened several military actions against Iran, said in an interview released Friday that he thought a deal would occur. He added that Netanyahu might “go to war,” but the US is “not being dragged.”
However, he warned the United States that “if you can’t get a deal, you’ll be very happy.”
“If we don’t make a deal, I’ll lead the pack,” he said.
The IAEA speaks in Iran
Trump called for a new Iranian nuclear association, which was held under the “Max Pressure Campaign,” after taking office in January.
He unilaterally tore a groundbreaking nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, during his first presidency in 2018, and Tehran has since accelerated uranium enrichment to weapons-grade quality.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the world’s nuclear watchdog, expressed “serious concerns” in its February report.
Iran’s foreign ministry said that IAEA technical teams have arrived in Tehran for a meeting with nuclear experts amid another indication that progress is ongoing in negotiations.
Araghchi previously suggested that the IAEA could take part in consultations for the next round with the US. This is scheduled for tentatively on Saturday, Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the venue has not yet been announced.
About Alerts
Iranian security forces are on alert amidst the dissatisfaction with Israel’s nuclear negotiations.
On Saturday, Iran’s Shahid Rajae port, near Bandar Abbas city in the south, was shaken by a major explosion.
The cause remains unknown. Reports that it was caused by the shipment of missile fuel were rejected by Iran.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that the death toll reached 46 on Monday, with 138 injured.
The Iranian infrastructure telecommunications company said it had repelled “wide and complex” cyberattacks, according to a report by Semi-Featured Tasnim News Agency.
Iran has previously accused Israel of being behind such attacks.