"No Imminent End to the War".. Pessimistic Israeli Comment on Trump’s Announcement

Economy SadaNews - Concurrently with U.S. President Donald Trump's expressions of positive vibes regarding the ongoing talks with the Iranian side through intermediaries to stop military actions and reach an agreement, Israel does not seem enthusiastic. An Israeli official confirmed today, Monday, that Tel Aviv was previously informed of Trump's post, which was a surprise for many around the world about the existence of indirect talks with Iran, led by U.S. envoy Steve Wittekopf and Jared Kushner through intermediaries. "Continuing Operations" The official stated that his country "does not see an imminent end to the war and plans to continue operations while avoiding targeting energy facilities," according to Bloomberg. In this context, Israeli officials indicated that there are no guarantees regarding reaching an agreement with Tehran. For his part, a source familiar with Israeli war plans stated that Washington kept Israel informed of its talks with Tehran, according to Reuters. However, he predicted that Israel would follow the United States in suspending any targeting of Iranian energy and electricity infrastructure. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel would not accept a bad deal regarding the Iranian file. He emphasized that Tel Aviv is determined to "keep Tehran down," referring to crushing its military and nuclear capabilities. "Restraining the Israelis" Joseph Kent, the director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned last week, commented on Trump's announcement on X that "the first step in de-escalation should be restraining the Israelis." He noted that if this does not happen, the negotiation efforts would follow this pattern: the U.S. President announces the start of de-escalation, then Israel carries out major strikes to undermine the negotiations, thus weakening America's negotiating power.. leading to an acceleration of war." "Israel Will Be Happy" In contrast, Trump, when asked today about the Israeli stance and whether Tel Aviv would respond to de-escalation and open space for negotiation, indicated that he "believes Israel will be satisfied." He stated, "Israel will be very happy with what we have achieved." He added that he had previously informed the Israeli side of the negotiations. The U.S. President also mentioned in press statements, "Iran wants an agreement, and so do we." He revealed that "talks will also take place today," after earlier disclosing that discussions between U.S. envoy Steve Wittekopf and Jared Kushner with intermediaries regarding the Iranian file had occurred. He pointed out that "America has spoken with esteemed senior Iranian leaders," as he put it. He also considered that "if an agreement is reached, it would be a great start for Iran and the region as a whole." Furthermore, Trump said: "We are keeping our Middle Eastern partners in mind.. We have excellent relations with many of them. And as you know, many of them were suddenly harmed, and I and everyone was surprised by that, but we are keeping them at the heart of our discussions." The U.S. President had confirmed that things are "going very well" regarding Iran, shortly after announcing negotiations with Tehran and postponing the strikes he threatened to carry out on its electricity generation facilities. In a brief statement to AFP via phone in response to a question about Iran, he said, "Things are going very well." It is noteworthy that Trump’s surprising statements came at a time when the war that erupted on February 28 entered its 24th day, amid a significant spike in oil prices exacerbated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz through which five shipments of oil and gas travel globally.