Jared Kushner

“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us," sources told Politico.

The talks are expected to determine whether there is still a path to an agreement between Tehran and Washington, or whether the likelihood of a US military strike will rise significantly.

As US-Iran tensions rise, US President Donald Trump stated that he will “never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon.”

France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said the senior American representative is required to explain his absence, and until he does so, he will be denied access to senior figures.

Reported targets of the strikes could include the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s nuclear sites, or its ballistic missile program.

US negotiators will meet Iran in Geneva on Thursday for a new round of nuclear talks, with significant gaps remaining over enrichment limits and Trump's "zero enrichment" stance.

"It looks like Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons," Trump added. "They said 'they're not afraid to die,' but they are."

In a Fox News interview, US Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration "would like to resolve this through a conversation and a diplomatic negotiation."

“In this round of negotiations, we will attend with a full team; a political, legal, economic, and technical team,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted.

If China decides not to source its oil from Iran, economic pressure on Tehran would increase significantly