ISRAEL PERSPECTIVE

Tel Aviv, May 22, 2026. Twelve weeks after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, Israeli media are intensively covering indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, aware that the outcome of these negotiations directly affects the security of the Jewish state.

Pakistan's Chief of Staff Asim Munir has visited Tehran, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has held new talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to examine ongoing proposals. The Jerusalem Post and Ynetnews report that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the situation as "light progress," but immediately tempered this optimism: "There's still a lot of work to be done. We're not there yet. I hope we get there."

The element that concentrates all the attention of the Israeli press is the content of a draft agreement obtained by the Saudi channel Al Hadath: this outline - described as a final draft - excludes any mention of Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missiles. Ynetnews and Haaretz emphasize that this text provides for the gradual lifting of US sanctions, guarantees of freedom of navigation, and the cessation of military operations, without regulating uranium enrichment. A perceived gap in Jerusalem is seen as a major risk.

Trump has stated that the United States "will retrieve" Iran's highly enriched uranium - estimated at around 900 pounds - and "probably destroy it." But two high-ranking Iranian sources told Reuters that the Supreme Guide has issued a directive banning the export of this uranium abroad. Tehran is categorical: the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has declared that no agreement will be possible if Washington insists on discussing the nuclear issue at this stage, qualifying these demands as "excessive".

The other point of friction documented by the Israeli press concerns the Strait of Hormuz, closed to commercial navigation since the start of the conflict. Before the war, 125 to 140 ships crossed it daily, representing about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies. Rubio has warned that an Iranian toll system would make any diplomatic agreement "unfeasible" and "totally illegal." The International Energy Agency warns of a possible entry into the "red zone" in July-August, during the peak summer demand.