Talks between the United States and Iran in recent days were close to reaching an agreement, but were derailed by Israeli intervention. NBC News reported this, citing a senior diplomat from a Middle Eastern country with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
According to the source, the sides were “close to success” when Israel “intervened to preemptively halt diplomacy.” The diplomat noted that this was not the first time such a situation had occurred. “Once again, when negotiations are nearing success, Israel intervenes,” he said, adding that in Washington this is seen as a case where “the Israeli tail wags the American dog.”
Against the backdrop of the collapsed talks, US President Donald Trump said Washington had repeatedly sought to strike a deal with Tehran to curb Iran’s nuclear program. “We tried,” he said in a statement published on February 28, 2026. On the same day, the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iranian targets.
Notably, Trump himself had previously and repeatedly accused the former US administration of being prepared to launch a war with Iran for domestic political reasons. On November 29, 2011, he wrote that Barack Obama would “start a war with Iran in order to get elected.” On January 17, 2012, Trump claimed that Obama would “attack Iran to get re-elected.” On September 16, 2013, he said the US president would “at some point attack Iran to save face,” and on November 10, 2013, he again repeated that he had predicted a possible strike due to an “inability to negotiate.”
The collapse of the talks and the ensuing military escalation sharply complicated the diplomatic landscape surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and heightened tensions across the Middle East.