Israel has reportedly given a commitment to the Trump administration that it will not launch strikes on Iran unless talks over a nuclear deal collapse.
Citing two Israeli officials, Axios reported that Jerusalem gave the White House reassurances no military action would be taken while a diplomatic solution is sought.
Reports last week suggested that Israel was preparing strikes amid frustration over the stalling negotiations, particularly after leaked details of the proposed agreement suggested Tehran would not be forced to give up enriching nuclear material.
However, President Trump later confirmed that he had asked Israel to hold off while talks continued and publicly committed to ending Iranian enrichment as part of the deal – a red line for the Islamic Republic.
Now, though, it appears Jerusalem is willing to give the two sides more time to hash out the details, with the officials saying strikes on nuclear facilities will only go ahead if the discussions fail to reach a conclusion.
One of the sources told Axios: “We calmed the Americans and told them there is no logic in launching an attack if a good diplomatic solution can be found.
"This is why we are going to give it a chance and wait with any military action until it is clear that negotiations were exhausted and [White House envoy] Steve Witkoff has given up.”
In the meantime, Iran is reportedly rebuilding its conventional capacity by purchasing ammonium perchlorate, a key component of missile fuel, from China.
The regime is reported to have bought up enough of the chemical to power around 800 ballistic missiles.
According to the Times of Israel, these are expected to be transferred to Iranian proxies across the Middle East in the coming months – most likely the Houthis in Yemen, who only this morning attempted to strike Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Five rounds of negotiations between Washington and Tehran have already taken place, but a sixth is yet to be scheduled.
Reports suggest that the deal currently on the table would see Iran limit its uranium enrichment and dilute its existing enriched stock, possibly by selling it to the US, as well as committing to only use enriched material for civilian purposes.
In return, the US would ease sanctions and allow the release of millions of dollars of Iranian oil profits currently frozen in Qatari banks.
However, Israel is understood to be sceptical of any deal that does not enforce total denuclearisation, while Iran is apparently unwilling to give up its enrichment capabilities.
