ISRAEL PERSPECTIVE

Jerusalem, May 18, 2026. Contradictory signals from Tehran fuel the strategic uncertainty that Jerusalem watches with intense concern. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday in an interview with Fox News that the United States and Iran had reached several draft agreements that the Iranian regime then refused to acknowledge. "Every time they make a deal, the next day it's like we never had that conversation," Trump stated.

At the heart of negotiations lies enriched uranium. Trump asserted that an agreement would require Iran to hand over its uranium to the United States, noting that only the U.S. and China possess the equipment necessary to extract it from underground, partly buried under debris following U.S.-Israeli strikes. Nine U.S. Space Force cameras currently monitor the site to ensure no extraction occurs before an agreement is reached.

Trump attributed diplomatic difficulties to internal conflicts within Iran's leadership. "We've eliminated so many leaders that I'm trying to figure out who we're dealing with," he said, describing a "very disorganized" leadership facing "immense discord." This analysis, which aligns with several Israeli analysts, suggests that the Iranian interlocutor is structurally weakened yet unpredictable.

On substance, Trump specified he would accept an agreement halting uranium enrichment for twenty years. "Twenty years is sufficient... but it has to be real twenty years, not fake," he emphasized, conditioning any agreement on complete extraction of nuclear material. When asked about a potential U.S. military operation to forcibly extract uranium, Trump responded that Iran would be "totally defeated" and that the U.S. would enter "at the right time."

In parallel, Iran's parliament announced through Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of its national security commission, plans to establish a mechanism for managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Only commercial vessels and parties "cooperating with Iran" would benefit, with fees for specialized services. This announcement, whose precise details remain undisclosed, is perceived in Jerusalem as Tehran's attempt to maintain leverage over global maritime commerce, including energy supplies to Israel's regional partners.