US citizens being detained in Iran amid Israel war - Washington Post

Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed at least 722 people and injured 2,546 over the past eight days, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

The toll includes 285 civilian deaths and 198 military personnel, while the status of 239 others remains unclear, according to the report.

The airstrikes have affected 25 of 31 Iranian provinces, the report said.

"There are confidential conversations about who would lead Iran next, whether the nuclear sites and material can be secured, and the potential environmental and health fallout for regional allies from military strikes on nuclear facilities," CBS News reported citing US and European diplomats.

There are still no signs of instability within Iran's government a week into its conflict with Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported on Friday, citing three Israeli officials.

“There are currently no indications that the central government in Tehran is losing control — quite the opposite. The Iranian regime appears to be tightening its grip,” the officials were quoted as saying.

Dr. Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, added: “Most Iranians are hostile to the regime and oppose it, but there is a sense of national solidarity at the moment. Right now, the people are focused on one thing: survival.”

US President Donald Trump said on Friday it is hard to ask Israel to stop its airstrikes against Iran as it is the winning side.

“I think it’s very hard to make that request right now if somebody is winning,” Trump told reporters.

He said he might support a ceasefire in Iran-Israel conflict while negotiations are underway with Iran "depending on the circumstances".

Trump also stressed that Washington has been in contact with Iran, adding that Tehran does not want to engage with European countries.

"Europe is not going to be able to help with this one," he said.

He warned that Iran is weeks or months away from developing a nuclear weapon.

Trump said that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was wrong to suggest there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon.

Trump questioned Iran’s justification for enriching uranium for civilian energy purposes.

“When you’re sitting on one of the largest oil piles anywhere in the world, it’s a little bit hard to see why you’d need that,” he said, when asked about allowing Iran to enrich uranium up to 3 percent under a potential nuclear deal.

After the first meeting between Iranian and Western officials since the state of the Israel-Iran war last week, European foreign ministers said on Friday that Iran expressed openness to diplomacy a wide array of issues.

Foreign ministers from Germany, France and UK plus the European Union foreign policy chief that their meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi marked a positive step.

“The Iranian side is fundamentally ready to continue talks about all the important issues," German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said. "It is very important that the United States of America are involved in these negotiations and a solution."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said Tehran appeared open to broad dialogue. ”We were clear Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and the E3 and Europe have been clear for many years that that cannot happen.”

Before the meeting, Iran had made clear it was not open to discussing the most sensitive disagreements with the West such as its missile program.