The Levant Files

Israeli officials have expressed deep skepticism about the prospects of a diplomatic agreement between the United States and Iran, telling The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that the chances of a deal are "very small." According to The Jerusalem Post, the gap between the two sides stems not only from sweeping American demands — including restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, limits on ballistic missiles, and guarantees of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz — but also from significant Iranian counter-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 outlet. Despite public statements from President Donald Trump suggesting progress in negotiations, a source familiar with the details confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the deployment of American forces i...

As Washington and Tehran edge toward an uncertain pause in hostilities, Turkey has quietly emerged as a key diplomatic player — with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan holding undisclosed talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to analyst Murat Yetkin writing for YetkinReport. President Donald Trump announced on March 23 a five-day delay to planned strikes against Iran — just one day after mocking the Pope's ceasefire appeal and vowing he would not stop "while winning." Trump claimed two days of talks with Iran were underway, implying Tehran was ready to capitulate. Iran denied it. Competing Scenarios Yetkin outlines several competing explanations for Trump's sudden reversal. Gulf Arab states — led by Saudi Arabia — may have pressed Washington to pause, fearing catastrophic regional blowback. Iran had already warned Gulf nations to stockpile water and prepare backup generators, signaling it would target civilian infrastructure including desalination and power p...

The conflict between the US-Israel and Iran has escalated sharply over the past 24 hours, with intensive strikes on Tehran and Iranian infrastructure.  Israel launched a "wide-scale wave of airstrikes" targeting regime infrastructure in the Iranian capital, including military and nuclear sites. Explosions in eastern Tehran were described as "unprecedented," with Iranian air defenses activated in response. US Central Command confirmed ongoing precision strikes on Iranian military targets, including a turbine engine facility in Qom linked to drone production.  Iran retaliated with missile and drone barrages across the Gulf, striking energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE. Missiles hit an Amazon Web Services data center in Abu Dhabi and impacted near Riyadh.  Iranian forces warned that any attack on its energy sites would trigger regional retaliation against US-aligned infrastructure. Trump Pauses Power Plant Strikes Amid Diplomatic Signals...

Washington and Tehran send conflicting signals as war enters fourth week Contradictory signals from Washington and Tehran dominated Monday's diplomatic landscape, as US President Donald Trump claimed "major points of agreement" had been reached in talks with Iranian officials, walked back his threat to strike Iranian power plants, and ordered a five-day pause in any such action — while Iran's Foreign Ministry flatly denied any direct contact had taken place. In an all-caps post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the US and Iran had held "very good and productive" conversations over the past two days focused on ending hostilities, announcing he had instructed the Department of War to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, "subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions." The announcement triggered a surge in US stock futures and a fall in oil prices, which had wobbled earlie...

As US and Israeli forces wage war against Iran, settlers in the occupied West Bank are exploiting the chaos — burning homes, killing Palestinians, and displacing communities with near-total impunity. The fires in Nablus and Jenin lit up the night sky on March 22–23, for the second consecutive night. Masked settlers torched homes, cars, and businesses across multiple Palestinian villages while Israeli security forces — stretched thin and distracted by the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran — were largely absent or passive. Ten Palestinians were injured. No settlers were arrested. This is not a new story. It is the latest chapter in a years-long escalation that has intensified with every regional shock — and the Iran war has provided the most dramatic cover yet. A Crisis Born Long Before February 2026 The current surge in settler violence cannot be divorced from its origins in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered a cascading reg...

Iran pushed back sharply on Monday against US President Donald Trump's claim of productive diplomatic engagement, with state-linked media flatly denying any contact between the two governments — even as the country faced simultaneous missile strikes and reports emerged that the Supreme Leader's residence had been targeted. Tehran Rejects Trump's Narrative Fars News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, stated categorically that no direct or indirect communication had taken place between Tehran and Washington — directly contradicting Trump's Truth Social post in which he announced a five-day postponement of planned US strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, citing "very good and productive conversations" with Iran. Iranian officials reinforced their position that any de-escalation must be initiated by the United States, emphasising that Iran did not start the conflict and will not be seen as the party seeking an exit. Yet an unnamed source ...

US president cites "very good and productive" talks with Tehran, but Iran warns it will mine all Persian Gulf communication lines if its coast or islands are attacked US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has ordered a five-day pause on all American military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, citing what he described as substantive diplomatic progress with Tehran over the past 48 hours. Writing in all capitals on his Truth Social platform, Trump said his administration had held "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East" with Iran, and that discussions would continue throughout the week. "Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations," he said, he had "instructed the department of war to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day...

Signs of deepening fractures within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are mounting, with reports of unit-level desertions, senior commanders accused of abandoning their troops, and growing internal dissent threatening the cohesion of the Islamic Republic's most powerful military institution. According to The Jerusalem Post,  Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, told Bloomberg on Sunday that small units within the IRGC and its paramilitary affiliate, the Basij, have begun refusing to report for duty — a development he described as unprecedented. "We have small units within the system of the IRGC and the Basij, which are not turning their weapons yet on their superiors, but they're not showing up for work," Leiter said. "And that's a first. It's developing, and it's a process." The ambassador framed the trend in broader historical terms, drawing parallels with the collapse of authoritarian regimes in the t...

Trump’s 48-hour deadline, Iran’s refusal, and Israel’s promise of intensified strikes all point in one direction Dr. Nikolaos Stelgias The last thing the Middle East needed amid a fourth week of strikes and mounting civilian casualties was an ultimatum. Yet that is precisely what US President Donald Trump delivered late on Saturday night, giving Iran 48 hours to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its power plants. Tehran’s response was swift and unequivocal: defiance, coupled with counter-threats that promise to widen the conflict’s geographic and economic scope far beyond its already alarming parameters. Hours later, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz piled on, announcing that the intensity of joint US–Israeli strikes against Iran would rise “significantly” in the coming days. Read together, these three signals—the ultimatum, the refusal, and the Israeli escalation warning—form a coherent pattern pointing towards a sharp intensification of hostilities in th...