Tensions are running high just days before the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, scheduled for Friday. The White House has also confirmed these negotiations. Washington announced that it had shot down "in self-defense" an Iranian drone that had approached the Lincoln aircraft carrier , which had been deployed in Middle Eastern waters for several days along with other American military assets. The drone was shot down shortly after a US oil tanker was approached by armed Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz . Despite requests to stop its engines, the tanker continued on its route, escorted by a US military vessel. The White House, however, has stated that talks with Iran are "still on the agenda," and US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who is in charge of leading the negotiations, first traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel wants a pact between Washington and Tehran that includes an end to Iran's uranium enrichment, the transfer of its nuclear stockpile abroad, limits on ballistic missile production, and an end to support for Hezbollah , the Houthis, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. If Israel's demands are not included in a US-Iran agreement, analysts predict the Jewish state will support a US attack on the Islamic Republic. Iran has meanwhile officially opened talks with the US on the condition of "pursuing fair and impartial negotiations" without "unreasonable expectations," said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The talks "will be conducted within the framework of our national interests," Pezeshkian emphasized, while the Islamic Republic has already made it clear it has no intention of discussing its missile program.
Iran's defense capabilities are non-negotiable, a diplomatic source in Tehran stated, adding that for now, the Islamic Republic is not viewing the talks optimistically, but not pessimistically either. As several Iranian officials have emphasized, among Israel's demands that Tehran deems unacceptable is the transfer abroad—some say to Turkey or Russia—of its nuclear stockpile of 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to produce up to ten nuclear weapons. A few days before the talks, several sources stated that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will join Witkoff in the negotiations, although the location and date have not yet been officially confirmed, and according to Turkish officials, they could also be held outside of Istanbul, where they were initially scheduled. Iran would prefer the talks to be held in Oman and in a bilateral format, without the presence of observers from various regional countries. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among the first to declare his willingness to mediate between Washington and Tehran, has left for an official visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two of the countries expected to be represented in Istanbul on Friday if the talks are held, where officials from Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates are also expected.
