An Iranian analyst holds that Israel remains the utmost obstacle to advancing negotiations for the second round of indirect talks on the diplomatic front between Iran and the United States.
Iranian international relations expert Arash M. Akbari said Israel's actions are aimed at exerting pressure on Iran and undermining the diplomatic track.
"Israel is trying to disrupt this process by presenting some unpredictable actions, which of course can be military as well, and also in terms of propaganda, they have been waffling around on the press as well that the U.S. is about to attack Iran, the U.S. is about to attack Iran. They are repeating that chant again and again to put the pressure on the Iranian political section and also the military sector as well," he said.
"They are trying to get Iran to act first and I think our politicians and our negotiators are experienced enough to not to fall into that trap," he said.
The second round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. concluded in Geneva on Tuesday, which both sides described as constructive.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who headed the Iranian delegation, said on social media that Tuesday's talks concluded with "good progress" towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues. U.S. media outlet Axios also cited a U.S. official as saying that "the talks with Iran saw progress."
Still sources indicate that Israel has remained skeptical about the talks for weeks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that any future agreement should extend beyond Iran's nuclear program to include its ballistic missile development and its support for regional armed groups.
Following the conclusion of the second round of talks, Israel signaled on Wednesday that there were indications the U.S. and Israel could carry out joint strikes against Iran in the coming days. Israel has reportedly raised its national alert level, with some of its institutions instructed to prepare for potential conflict.
Israel remains utmost obstacle to US-Iran nuclear talks: expert
