Iran & The Gulf

Blaze in western Tehran's Janat bazaar raises sabotage questions amid crackdown on merchant protests and ongoing tensions with Washington.

Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was preparing for talks with Washington amid reports that Tehran is prepared to “sacrifice” its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of the American military threat. 

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are planning to meet on Friday in Istanbul for negotiations toward a new nuclear agreement. According to The Wall Street Journal, senior adviser Jared Kushner is also expected to take part in the talks.

After weeks of high tensions and a buildup of American forces in the region, Washington and Tehran are exploring a new round of negotiations in Istanbul in an effort to avert escalation. The core disputes revolve around Iran’s nuclear program, its missile project and its regional involvement.

Steve Witkoff is set to arrive in Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, as Washington and Tehran prepare to launch talks in the coming days.

Western officials stress that despite the damage sustained during the war, key components of Iran’s missile program remain operational. Countries in the region fear that a military strike would trigger escalation and widespread instability.

The president’s ambassador to NATO said the US does not want to turn Iran into “another Libya,” but is capable of taking military action. Iran’s leader Khamenei warned in a message to the White House: “Any attack on us will this time lead to a regional war.”

Senior Israeli and US officials deny any role in deadly blasts, while Iranian authorities expand civil defense preparations. Western sources says “The question of an attack is not whether, but when.”

The IDF head of Military Intelligence, alongside senior officials from other intelligence agencies, focused in part on the intelligence required for a possible strike. Also discussed was how economic pressure on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could support a military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

As Iran steps up military preparations amid rising tensions with Washington, Tehran has begun building urban bomb shelters and preparing its metro system for emergency use, while the Iranian military reports new weapons deliveries and heightened readiness.