Signs of progress remained elusive as Tehran and Washington wrapped up their fifth round of discussions in Rome. On May 23, Iranian state media said that Steven Witkoff, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, had departed the negotiations too soon. The same day, CNN reported that Tehran was sceptical that the talks would result in any accord, citing two unnamed Iranian officials. Speaking to The National on May 19, an Iranian official expressed doubts about the likelihood of a breakthrough.
Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, delivered an equally gloomy speech on May 20. Khamenei called US demands for zero uranium enrichment “outrageous and excessive” and said the talks were unlikely to succeed. Khamenei’s office-affiliated tabloid Kayhan said on May 21 that the talks had not yielded significant results and demanded a change in strategy toward “active resistance” against the US. Iran would not give up its enrichment capabilities, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed this stance on May 22.
US message became more definitive in early May after first being vague. President Donald Trump indicated in a May 4 interview that he would accept nothing short of the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program—a stance which, in technical terms, includes an end to all uranium enrichment. On May 9 and May 19, Witkoff reiterated this position, saying that enrichment of uranium is a red line and that it may result in “weaponisation.”
Iran escalates warnings in response to Israeli threats.
CNN claimed on May 20 that fresh evidence indicates Israel is preparing a possible strike on Iranian nuclear installations, citing unnamed US sources, but Jerusalem has not yet made a decision. Even if an Israeli strike during ongoing talks is still implausible, the seeming impasse in Rome would make it seem more plausible.
The danger is being taken seriously in Tehran. “Alarming, and [it] warrants immediate and serious condemnation from the UN Security Council and the IAEA,” Araghchi said on May 22 in reference to the disclosure. He said that if an attack did occur, the government would retaliate with “special measures.”
Araghchi’s letter, which warned of “catastrophic consequences” and stated that “the Government of the United States shall bear legal responsibility” for any Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, was forwarded to the UN Security Council and UN secretary-general by Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
On May 21, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated media source Tasnim News asserted that Iran’s unwillingness to disarm is the reason for the threats against it and promised that any Israeli assault would be met with reprisal more severe than the first strike.
Since March, the United States has increased its military posture in the region as a show of determination. American stations around the Middle East have received military materiel from more than 100 large cargo planes. The United States had sent approximately one-third of its fleet of B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia, and on May 19, it sent another squadron of F-15E fighter fighters there, increasing the number to six.
Threats against Israel and the United States were then made by Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff and IRGC General Mohammad Bagheri. Operation True Promise I and II, Iran’s previous strikes on Israel in April and October 2024, were presented by Bagheri as a warning against more military action.
