New Delhi: Amid its escalating conflict with Israel, Iran has reportedly signalled its willingness to de-escalate tensions and resume talks regarding its nuclear program. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing Middle Eastern and European officials, Iran has been conveying these messages to both Israel and the United States through intermediaries in the Arab world for de-escalation as long as the US does not join the attack.
These communications indicate a potential opening for renewed negotiations, contingent on the US refraining from military involvement in the conflict. Iran also reportedly assured Israel that containing the violence serves the interests of both nations, according to the report.
The US response, however, is nuanced. While US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in an interview with Fox News that the US military maintains a defensive posture in the region, aiming to facilitate a peace agreement, European leaders have taken a different approach. “We are postured defensively in the region to be strong, in pursuit of a peace deal. And we certainly hope that’s what happens here,” Hegseth said.
In a call with his Iranian counterpart, European foreign ministers urged Iran to return to nuclear negotiations with the US and avoid further escalation of the conflict with Israel. However, Iran’s foreign minister reportedly prioritised confronting Israel, according to a French diplomatic source quoted by Reuters.
This diplomatic manoeuvring follows Israel’s preemptive “Operation Rising Lion” strike on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, just two days before planned US-Iranian nuclear talks. Israel contends the strike aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a claim Iran vehemently denies. The subsequent Iranian counterstrikes against Israel have further intensified the crisis.
The conflict has injected significant uncertainty into the international landscape, particularly impacting the ongoing G7 Summit in Canada. US President Donald Trump’s abrupt departure from the summit a day early, citing the intensifying Israel-Iran conflict and demanding immediate Iranian evacuation of unspecified locations, highlights the urgency of the situation.
Trump reiterated his firm stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and called for a swift resolution, emphasising the need for a deal before it’s “too late,” noting that previous attempts had failed before the Israeli strike commenced. His “America First” policy statement further underlined this hardline position.
“AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
