US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for high-level meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, according to two senior Israeli officials.
The talks are expected to focus largely on Iran, coming shortly after Zamir traveled to Washington, DC over the weekend for a round of consultations with senior American defense officials regarding the Islamic Republic.
After completing his visit to Israel, Witkoff is scheduled to meet Friday in Istanbul with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to discuss a potential nuclear agreement and related matters, a US official said on Monday.
“The president’s been calling for them to make a deal. The meeting is to hear what they have to say,” the official said.
Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt have been involved in facilitating the planned meeting, Axios previously reported, citing two sources familiar with the effort.
At the same time, Iranian media reported Monday that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed officials to initiate nuclear negotiations with the United States after President Donald Trump expressed optimism about reaching an agreement that could avert military action against Iran.
The reports follow a period of heightened tension after Iranian authorities responded forcefully to anti-government protests that reached their peak last month. In response, Trump threatened military action and ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
Iran has warned that any US military strike ordered by Trump would prompt retaliation against Israel and American military targets throughout the region.
Netanyahu addressed those threats during a speech to the Knesset on Monday, declaring that Israel was “ready for every scenario.”
“Whoever attacks us will face unbearable consequences,” the premier warned.
Even as pressure mounts on Tehran, Trump has continued to say he hopes diplomacy will succeed. Iranian officials have also stated that they favor negotiations, while simultaneously vowing a severe response to any attack.
“President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States,” the Fars news agency reported, citing an unnamed government source.
“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” Fars said, without providing a timeline.
The report was also published by the state-run newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.
Without detailing the substance of any potential agreement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said regional countries are helping relay messages between the sides. “Countries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages.
“Several points have been addressed and we are examining and finalizing the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days,” he added. “This concerns the method and framework.”
Speaking on CNN on Sunday, Araqchi said he believes Iran can reach an agreement with the United States.
Other countries in the region are also working to prevent the standoff with Iran from escalating further. Jordan’s foreign minister conveyed that position during a phone call Monday with his Iranian counterpart.
“Jordan will not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran,” Ayman Safadi told Araqchi, according to a statement from Jordan’s Foreign Ministry.
Safadi added that Amman, a close US ally, “will not permit any party to violate its airspace or threaten its security and the safety of its citizens,” while underscoring Jordan’s support for de-escalation and restoring calm.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russia continues efforts to reduce tensions surrounding Iran, noting that Moscow has long offered to assist by processing or storing Iran’s enriched uranium.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s dairy farmers announced on Monday that they will stop supplying milk to dairies beginning this morning, stepping up their protest against a dairy industry reform promoted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The farmers argue that the reform is “destructive,” warning that it could cause severe damage to local producers and jeopardize the long-term stability of Israel’s dairy sector.
The issue was addressed earlier Monday at a farm conference organized by the Binyamin Region, the Farm Alliance, and Arutz Sheva, where Smotrich was questioned about the possibility that farmers would suspend milk production.
Smotrich sharply criticized the move, saying it would only strengthen the case for reform. “If they stop milk production, they would play into my hands since they would explain to the citizens of Israel what happens when an industry is managed in such a communist, centralized manner where whoever wants can flip the switch.”
He went on to compare the farmers’ threat to actions taken by other sectors in the past. “Once it’s the electric company employees, after that it’s the ports, and now it’s the growers. This won’t happen. The citizens of Israel will not be hostages of any monopoly or any pressure group.”
The standoff comes after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved the dairy reform last month. According to estimates from the Finance Ministry, the changes are expected to save the public between one and two billion shekels annually.
The ministry said the reform is intended to open the dairy market to competition, reduce consumer prices, and dismantle the centralized planning system that has governed the industry for decades.
The legislation calls for the cancellation of the production quota system, a transition to an open market, and the removal of all tariffs on dairy products. It also includes a safety net for producers aimed at ensuring a consistent supply of fresh milk to consumers at affordable prices.
In addition, the reform establishes a new legal mechanism to regulate protected milk procurement, alongside a gradual program to buy back existing quotas as the market shifts to the new framework.
{Matzav.com}
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