Hebrew media: Washington drops demand to negotiate with Iran on ballistic missiles, proxies

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, citing a source described as knowledgeable about Middle East affairs, that the United States and Iran have agreed to limit the talks scheduled for Friday to Iran’s nuclear programme only.

The source said Washington accepted Iran’s conditions after mediation by regional countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman. He warned that Iran is ready for a regional conflict if its conditions for the negotiation framework are rejected.

The United States has not issued any official statement confirming whether it has stepped back from its earlier demand to include other issues, such as Iran’s ballistic missile programme and the activities of its regional allies.

The source added that regional states “do not want a domineering neighbour, but they understand that an attack on Iran would harm the region”.

He said that despite Tehran’s tough rhetoric, Iran’s leadership may ultimately be willing to abandon its nuclear programme.

However, the source stressed that the path of the negotiations remains unclear, and that Washington’s position on its maximum demands in the nuclear file has yet to be defined.

Another source said that regional countries are pressing the United States to give diplomacy and dialogue a chance.