Ahead of talks: Israel sets conditions for US-Iran agreement

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

With increased pressure and repeated warnings about the risks of any agreement with Iran that is not comprehensive and does not guarantee regional security, Israel is attempting to place obstacles in the way of the first round of expected talks between Washington and Tehran, scheduled for Friday in Istanbul.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks in Israel to ensure Tel Aviv does not undermine the negotiations, was met with clear objections centered on the absence of Iran's ballistic missile program from the Istanbul agenda.

Israeli officials conveyed to Witkoff that their acceptance of any agreement with Iran to defuse the risk of a wider regional war would be contingent on a set of conditions they consider essential to security. 

These include Iran transferring its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, estimated at around 400 kilograms, to a third country, as well as a complete halt to uranium enrichment on Iranian territory.

Israel is also demanding strict limitations on Iran's ballistic missile production, both in terms of quantity and range, and a full cessation of Tehran's funding and support for its regional allies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Alongside these demands, Israeli officials are warning that Iran is deliberately stalling negotiations to buy time and avert a potential military strike. While regional and international actors are pushing to give the Istanbul talks a chance, Tel Aviv is expressing deep skepticism about their prospects.

Israeli assessments anticipate that the negotiations will fail and maintain that a U.S. military strike against Iran remains likely, potentially within the next two weeks.