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Three senior Israeli officials speaking to Reuters stated on Tuesday that while U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to reach a deal with Iran, they view it as unlikely that Tehran would agree to U.S. demands.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Tel Aviv has not stopped its bombing campaign, as an American source confirms that strikes are "continuing as planned."
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The chances of an agreement between the U.S. and Iran are "very small," Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the gap stems not only from U.S. demands, including restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but also from Iranian demands.
"At the moment, the Iranians are insisting on American compensation, as well as guarantees from the administration that there will be no further action against Iran as part of any agreement," two sources involved in mediation efforts told the Post.
A separate Israeli official said a deal "does not appear to be tangible right now."
"The Iranians do not appear to be in any concession mode, we are not there yet," the official said, suggesting the purported negotiations are a tactic to buy time to better prepare for further military strikes.
The official acknowledged several countries are attempting to mediate between the U.S. and Iran but said there is "no concrete proposal on the table yet."
An American source told the Post that "the strikes are continuing as planned," and Israeli officials said there has been no change in coordination with the U.S. military or in operational plans.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz made clear on Tuesday morning that Israel has not paused its campaign. "We continue striking Iran with full force," Katz said at a situational assessment.
The Israeli military said last week it has "thousands of targets" remaining in Iran and plans for at least several more weeks of war.
Katz's comments directly contradict Trump's stated intent to negotiate an end to the conflict. "They want to settle, and we're going to get it done," Trump told a crowd in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday.
Netanyahu also stated on Monday that Trump believes there is a possibility of "leveraging the mighty achievements obtained by the Israeli military and the U.S. military, in order to realize the goals of the war in a deal, a deal that will preserve our vital interests."
Three senior Israeli officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Trump appears determined to reach a deal aimed at ending hostilities, but they viewed it as unlikely that Iran would agree to U.S. demands in any new round of negotiations.
Those demands are likely to include curbs on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran has denied that any negotiations have taken place.
Regional tensions have escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.
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