The administration of the US President Donald Trump has almost completely excluded Israel from the peace negotiation process with Iran.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing Israeli officials.
According to sources, due to a lack of information from Washington, Israel began gathering data on the peace talks through contacts with other foreign leaders and diplomats in the region, as well as through intelligence.
American officials say that in the negotiation process, Trump views Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a military ally, not a close partner.
The publication claims that the reason is a difference in priorities. Israel wants to overthrow the Iranian regime, as well as destroy the countryʼs nuclear and missile programs. Trump, for his part, is seeking to end the war due to the oil crisis.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios reported, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.
Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas. But there is no talk of a breakdown yet.
Tehran this week submitted new proposals to Washington to end the war, but they included points that Trump had previously rejected. This was followed by reports that the US and Israel were preparing to resume strikes on Iran, but Trump said he was putting the idea on hold.
Iran responded and threatened to expand the war beyond the Middle East if the US resumed attacks.
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