Iran is pushing back against US demands that it directly negotiate over its nuclear program or be bombed, warning neighbors that host US bases that they could be in the firing line if involved, a senior Iranian official said.

Although Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s demand for direct talks, it wants to continue indirect negotiations through Oman, a longtime channel for messages between the rival states, said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“Indirect talks offer a chance to evaluate Washington’s seriousness about a political solution with Iran,” said the official.

Although that path could be “rocky,” such talks could begin soon if US messaging supported it, the official said.

Iran has issued notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that any support for a US attack on Iran, including the use of their air space or territory by US military during an attack, would be considered an act of hostility, the official said.

Such an act “will have severe consequences for them”, the official said, adding that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had placed Iran’s armed forces on high alert.

Warnings by Trump of military action against Iran have jangled already tense nerves across the region after open warfare in Gaza and Lebanon, military strikes on Yemen, a change of leadership in Syria and Israeli-Iranian exchanges of fire.

Worries of a wider regional conflagration have unsettled states around the Gulf, a body of water bordered on one side by Iran and on the other by US-allied Arab monarchies that carries a significant proportion of global oil supplies.

Spokespeople for the governments of Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of a warning but that such messages could be conveyed by other channels.

On Wednesday, Iranian state media reported that Kuwait had reassured Iran that it would not accept any aggressive action being directed at other countries from its soil.

Iran’s ally Russia said on Thursday that US threats of military strikes against the Islamic Republic were unacceptable and on Friday called for restraint.

Iran is trying to gain more support from Russia, but is skeptical about Moscow’s commitment to its ally, said a second Iranian official. This “depends on the dynamics” of the relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official said.

TWO-MONTH WINDOW

Trump has said he would prefer a deal over Iran’s nuclear program to a military confrontation and he said on March 7 he had written to Khamenei to suggest talks.

The first Iranian official said a first round of indirect talks could involve Omani mediators shuttling between the Iranian and US delegations. Khamenei has authorized Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi or his deputy, Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, to attend any talks in Muscat.

Oman’s government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

However, the official believed there was a window of around two months to agree a deal, citing worries that Iran’s long-time foe Israel might launch its own attack if talks took longer, and that it could trigger a so-called “snap back” of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon. However, it is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has warned.

Western states say there is no need to enrich uranium to such a high level under any civilian program and that no other country has done so without producing nuclear bombs.

While Iran has said it will consider talks with the US if the aim was to address concerns over its program, it has rejected holding any direct negotiations when the US is making threats and has said its missile program would be off limits.

A senior Iranian military commander, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Amirali Hajizadeh, had implied on Monday that US bases in the region could be targeted in any conflict.

In 2020, Iran targeted US bases in Iraq after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, in a US missile strike in Baghdad.

The post Iran Wants Indirect Talks With US, Warns Regional Countries Over Strikes Against It first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he hopes US President Donald Trump will ease tariffs imposed on Israel when the two meet in Washington this week.

Under a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, Israeli goods face a 17% US tariff. The US is Israel’s closest ally and largest single trading partner.

Netanyahu, who has spent the last few days visiting Hungary, departs for Washington on Sunday for an impromptu visit with Trump that is expected to take place on Monday, officials said.

He said in a statement that the talks will cover Israeli hostages still held in Gaza after 18 months, achieving victory in Gaza and the tariff regime on Israel.

“I hope that I will be able to help on this issue. That is the intention,” Netanyahu said of the tariffs. “I am the first international leader, the first foreign leader, who will meet with President Trump on the issue, which is so important to the Israeli economy.

“There is a long line of leaders who want to do this regarding their economies. I think that it reflects the special personal link, as well as the special ties between the US and Israel, which is so vital at this time.”

Trump extended the surprise invitation in a phone call on Thursday with Netanyahu when the Israeli leader raised the tariff issue, according to the Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli finance ministry official said on Thursday that Trump’s latest tariff announcement could impact Israel’s exports of machinery and medical equipment.

Israel had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on US imports last Tuesday. The two countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago and about 98% of goods from the US are now tax-free.

The post Netanyahu Says Will Seek Relief from Tariffs in Meeting with Trump first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

i24 News – Turkey was left fuming after at least three air bases in Syria where it hoped to deploy its forces were devastated by Israeli air strikes this week.

The Israeli strikes the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria’s Homs province and the main airport in Hama province. Israeli attacks came despite Ankara’s efforts to reassure Washington that a deeper military presence in Syria was not intended to threaten Israel.

Turkish military teams in recent weeks scoped out all three sites, four officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters.

Strikes at T4 “destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won’t accept the expanded Turkish presence,” said one of the intelligence officials who spoke to the news agency.

Ankara is positioning itself to play a major role in the new Syria, filling a vacuum left by Iran, in an expansion of Turkish sway that has put Israel—embroiled in a multi-front war of survival for the last year and a half—on edge.

The post Turkey Left Fuming After Israel Demolishes Key Military Bases in Syria first appeared on Algemeiner.com.