Talks likely to proceed as Trump backs envoy Witkoff, Iranian MP says

Israel is considering a limited strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months, even as President Donald Trump has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US is not ready to support such a move, Reuters reported, citing multiple sources.

“We have intelligence from reliable sources that Israel is planning a major attack on Iran’s nuclear sites,” a senior Iranian security official told Reuters. “This stems from dissatisfaction with ongoing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and also from Netanyahu’s need for conflict as a means of political survival.”

Israeli sources told Reuters that a scaled-down operation requiring less US assistance is now being weighed. “No decision has been made yet,” a senior Israeli official said.

Earlier this month, Trump told Netanyahu that Washington wanted to focus on talks. “I’m not in a rush,” he said Thursday. “If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran.”

The report said Israel has asked Washington to help defend against any Iranian retaliation in the event of a strike.

Major gaps in international knowledge of Iran’s nuclear material and infrastructure could undermine any new agreement between Tehran and Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing diplomats and nuclear experts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost “continuity of knowledge” regarding key parts of Iran’s nuclear program, including its stockpile of centrifuges and components, according to the report. Iran has restricted monitoring since 2021 and stopped sharing footage from surveillance cameras at sensitive sites.

“Implementing a new deal without having a clear inventory of what nuclear material and infrastructure Iran currently has would be extremely risky,” the report said.

“Without that baseline, it is next to impossible to ensure that Iran is complying with detailed limits on its nuclear enrichment under a deal.”

Rebuilding a full picture of Iran’s nuclear assets could take up to six months, diplomats told the Journal, a timeline that complicates efforts to meet the two-month deadline reportedly set by the Trump administration for securing a deal.

A senior Iranian official said on Saturday that Iran is committed to diplomacy but approaches the latest round of talks with the United States cautiously, citing past experience.

“We are aware that it is not a smooth path, but we take every step with open eyes, relying also on the past experiences,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X ahead of the talks in Rome.

He added that Iran has “always demonstrated, with good faith and a sense of responsibility, its commitment to diplomacy as a civilized way to resolve issues, in full respect of the high interests of the Iranian nation.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Rome on Saturday to lead his country’s delegation in the second round of nuclear talks with the United States, Iranian media reported.

The talks, mediated by Oman, are set to begin later in the day.

The first round was held on April 12 in Muscat.

Like the previous round, the negotiations will be conducted indirectly through written and oral exchanges, according to state media.

Accompanying Araghchi are senior Iranian officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, legal affairs chief Kazem Gharibabadi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, and senior adviser Behzad Saberi.

Iranian officials have said the talks are strictly focused on nuclear issues and will not include discussions on regional matters, defense capabilities, or dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

“It is ideology, flexible ideology. Extremist, but flexible,” Alizadeh said. “Using lies, creating lies—that’s part of their strategy.”

Alizadeh, who served in Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 22 years, said Tehran’s current posture is motivated by a desire to stay afloat amid both internal unrest and external pressure.

Despite having defected, Alizadeh says he remains in contact with individuals inside Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and remains familiar with official policy thinking.

He offered insight into the mindset of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him a revolutionary who clings to the vision of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to export the Islamic Revolution.

“The reality is dictating to Khamenei that in this situation—internally because of the economic problems inside Iran, and tension with many parts of the world, particularly with Israel and the United States, and now with the European Union,” he said.

According to Alizadeh, pressure is mounting: Israel’s strikes on Iran’s regional proxies, economic hardship, domestic dissent, and the looming threat of “snapback” sanctions from the E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) are all pushing Tehran toward tactical concessions.

Despite its defiant stance, he said, Iran will most likely cave to US demands—but only temporarily.

Flipping his lights on and off, Alizadeh emphasized: “The nuclear program is like this: switch on. Switch off."

Iran permits nuclear inspectors into the country, he added, but blocks human rights monitors because Tehran can pause nuclear activities but cannot hide rights abuses.

Alizadeh served as a diplomat in Finland during the 2009 contested elections, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s declared victory sparked mass protests.

Supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed the vote was rigged, leading to a nationwide crackdown.

That moment, Alizadeh said, shattered his lifelong beliefs.

“When the Green Movement erupted in Iran was a moment that I always describe it as rebirth for myself,” he said.

Alizadeh pointed to the lack of public outrage from Iran’s hardliners in the face of renewed diplomacy—even with President Donald Trump whom the detest for ordering the killing of military leader Qasem Soleimani and withdrew from an earlier nuclear deal during his first term.

“Trump is in office—the Trump who killed Qasem Soleimani and the Trump who withdraw his country out of the JCPOA,” Alizadeh said. “None of the hardliners are saying anything against the talks. So, in fact, it's a matter of survival. They know this is a real game.”

Alizadeh said he advises American officials that Iranian diplomacy should not be compared to the Western model. In Iran’s case, it’s a calculated tool to manipulate perception.

“For Khamenei, diplomacy is a tool. He used it as instrument to trick people that, I am a rational person. Iran under me is a normal country like all the others,” Alizadeh said.

To hear more from Hossein Alizadeh, watch the full episode of Eye for Iran on YouTube or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, or Amazon.