Key Points – As the Israel-Iran conflict enters its second week, a fragile diplomatic track is running parallel to the military strikes.
-While Israel continues its air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military sites, and Iran retaliates with missile barrages on Israeli cities, backdoor channels remain open.
-U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have held several phone calls, according to reports.
-Iran publicly insists that negotiations cannot resume until Israeli attacks cease, but has also told US interlocutors it could show “flexibility” on the nuclear issue if Washington pressures Israel, creating a complex and volatile diplomatic landscape.
Iran Threatens ‘Hell’ after Striking Israeli Hospital
An Iranian official has made aggressive comments. Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned the United States that it would face dire consequences if it joined Israeli strikes on Iran. Speaking to the BBC, Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the idea of any intervention by Washington in the escalating war. He even said the issue was “not America’s war”, and that it could become a “quagmire”.
Iran Strikes Israeli Hospital
The warning follows a deadly escalation. An Iranian missile struck near Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel, wounding at least 71 civilians. While the Iranian regime claimed they targeted a military facility adjacent to the hospital, the vital healthcare facility was targeted. Israel hit back with strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Sites reportedly under fire included the Natanz facility and Arak’s heavy water reactor. While Tehran is yet to confirm casualties, Israel has reportedly successfully killed a slew of high-level personnel such as nuclear officials and generals.
Iran may claim to be using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, but why would anyone trust a regime that abuses its own population, and claims it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the planet?
Back at the White House, President Donald Trump will be mulling over his options. Whichever decision he makes will be freighted with consequences—not just for Washington’s already-complex Middle East policy, but for the global nuclear order.
Iran Warns ‘Hell’ If Washington Wades In
“If Trump enters this war,” Khatibzadeh noted, “he will be remembered as the president who involved America in a war it does not belong in.”
His comments reflect not only Tehran’s complaints over American threats but also a calculated and cynical attempt to frame Iran’s posture as defensive, despite the fact its proxies have repeatedly targeted U.S. assets in the Middle East.
Iran: We Wanted to Talk
But the timing of diplomacy is slipping away. Khatibzadeh claims that Iran was on the brink of a breakthrough in nuclear negotiations when Israel launched its June 13 offensive. But Israel’s June 13 strike came after months of Iranian escalation—not in a vacuum.
Iran has publicly claimed to be diplomacy-minded, the degree to which their openly genocidal regime can be trusted is hotly contested. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, says that Iran now already has enough 60% enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon- and Netanyahu clearly agrees.
Naturally, private talks continue, although we have no clue whether they will be to any avail. Reuters reports ongoing conversations between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, with European powers preparing for a potential ministerial-level meeting in Geneva.
But Iran insists negotiations cannot resume unless Israeli attacks cease.
But why would Jerusalem trust Tehran?
About the Author:
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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