Israel’s Gantz says Tehran is stalling US talks, calls for action
Former Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz on Thursday accused Iran of dragging out negotiations with the United States and said Israel must act decisively to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear capabilities.
“The Iranian regime are experts at stalling,” Gantz wrote on X. “The State of Israel must, and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities.”
He added, “Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East.”
US President Donald Trump has decided against supporting an Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, favoring diplomatic negotiations with Tehran instead, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing officials familiar with internal discussions.
Israeli officials had developed plans to attack Iran's nuclear sites as early as May, aiming to delay Tehran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by a year or more, according to the report. These plans would have required US assistance to ensure success and to defend against potential Iranian retaliation.
The decision followed internal debates within the Trump administration, revealing divisions between officials advocating for military action and those favoring diplomatic solutions. Some officials expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of a military strike and concerns over escalating into a broader conflict.
Trump communicated his decision to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent meeting in Washington, emphasizing the initiation of negotiations with Iran. Despite this, Trump indicated that military options remain on the table should diplomacy fail.
A hardline Iranian lawmaker said Iran's top diplomat has solicited domestic opposition to his nuclear negotiating team in order to boost the Islamic Republic's bargaining power with the United States.
Hamid Rasaei said he was asked by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to criticize the Foreign Ministry's performance.
"Araghchi asked us for some criticism, some pressure ... Common sense says that as a member of parliament, I should use criticism to strengthen his bargaining power," he told the Hamshahri newspaper.
"For example, we say the negotiators must never bring enrichment below 60%, so that when he goes to the negotiating table, he can tell them: "No matter what you say, we can't comply because the representatives of the people in parliament won't allow us."
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been invited to Rome for the occasion of the second round of Iran-US talks, Reuters reported citing a diplomatic source.
The report did not specify who invited the IAEA chief.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV on Wednesday that it was too soon to engage the IAEA in talks.
An American lawmaker has called on the Trump administration to reject any agreement with Iran that would allow Tehran to maintain their nuclear and missile programs.
Congressman Mike Lawler, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee's Mideast Subcommittee, said in a post on X he had sent a letter to chief US negotiator Steve Witkoff "urging him to reject a nuclear agreement with Iran that does not completely dismantle their nuclear and missile programs, and eases sanctions on Iran or its enablers."
"Anything less would be appeasement and a betrayal of US national security interests and the security of our partners in the region, including Israel and Saudi Arabia," Lawler said in his letter.
"The venue for the second round of talks is Rome. Wherever the venue for the talks is, Oman is the mediator and intermediary," Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV in an interview.
"The reason for changing the venue for the talks was the request of the other side, and we were not sensitive about it," he added, after the first talks were held in Omani capital Muscat.
Gharibabadi appeared to reject the White House's demand yesterday that Iran terminate its nuclear program entirely, saying: "The shutdown of Iran’s enrichment or nuclear industry is not even up for discussion."
"The first round was aimed at assessing whether both sides are serious about reaching an agreement. If the frameworks are agreed upon, the drafting process will begin. Agreement on frameworks is difficult but not impossible—it depends on the other side."
He said the two sides "didn’t address key points in the first round of negotiations, which is why it lasted less than three hours."
"The second round of negotiations will focus on the frameworks of the issues," Gharibabadi continued. "We told the other side we are not looking to waste time."
"If the other side enters the second round like they did in Muscat, reaching an agreement won’t take long; but for now, it’s too soon to judge," adding that it was too soon to include the UN nuclear watchdog in talks.
