Heat turned up on Iran-U.S. talks as Israel pressures Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington would take "very tough action" against Iran if the two sides fail to reach a deal, while Iran said the United States should not allow Israel to dictate its foreign policy.

With U.S.-Iran talks yet to produce an agreement and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Washington, heat is rising over the direction and prospects of the negotiations.

The United States and Iran resumed talks in Oman last week, marking their first formal dialogue since the June conflict last year. Trump said Iran had adopted a softer tone in the latest round, adding that Washington's military deployments in the Gulf provide important leverage in pressuring Tehran. He also said he is considering deploying an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Trump said a second round of U.S.-Iran talks could take place next week, stressing that any agreement must address not only Iran's nuclear program but also its ballistic missile capabilities.

Iran: Washington should not let Israel dictate its foreign policy

The U.S. president said his meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday is expected to focus primarily on Iran. He dismissed suggestions that Netanyahu is under pressure due to the renewed U.S.-Iran negotiations, saying the Israeli leader also wants a "good deal."

Israeli sources said Netanyahu will provide Trump with new intelligence on Iran's military capabilities during his visit, particularly regarding Tehran's efforts to restore its ballistic missile capacity. Israeli officials said that without intervention, Iran could possess up to 2,000 ballistic missiles within weeks or months.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, accused Israel of repeatedly acting as a "saboteur" in diplomatic efforts aimed at easing regional tensions. He urged U.S. officials to resist lobbying pressure and not allow external forces to shape American foreign policy.

Baghaei said Iran's peaceful nuclear program has been portrayed as an "artificially manufactured crisis" driven by Israel. He said Israel has spent nearly four decades claiming Iran seeks nuclear weapons in an attempt to create "imaginary fear" within the international community, stressing that an "Iranian nuclear bomb" does not exist.

On the next round of negotiations, Baghaei said talks would continue in the current format, provided both sides reach an agreement on the timing and venue.

Expert: Standoff of talks may trigger unilateral military action

As Netanyahu visits Washington, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and adviser to Iran's supreme leader, visited Oman and held nearly three hours of talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. Larijani later met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.

With the next round of negotiations still to be decided and both Iran and Israel conducting diplomatic outreach, Li Zixin, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said the parallel moves have increased uncertainty and could make it harder for the next U.S.-Iran talks to achieve a breakthrough.

Li said Larijani's trip to Oman was primarily aimed at reinforcing Oman's role as a mediator, using Muscat's diplomatic channels to further test Washington's position while underscoring Iran's "red line" – its non-negotiable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's visit to the United States is intended to pressure Washington into adopting a tougher stance during negotiations, he added.

"Iran is trying to stabilize the situation through diplomacy and isolate Israel, while Israel hopes to bind U.S. policy to ensure its own security demands," Li said.

He said that if the standoff continues, it could either lead to temporary compromises – such as freezing uranium enrichment activities and handing over highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief – or trigger unilateral Israeli military action that could derail talks and push the region toward conflict.