Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells CNN that he believes Tehran can achieve a deal with the United States on the country’s nuclear program. Tehran’s top diplomat says he is “confident that we can achieve a deal” on the program, which the US and Israel say aims to build nuclear weapons. “Unfortunately, we have lost our trust [in] the US as a negotiating partner,” Araghchi tells the US network, while touting “fruitful” talks being mediated by mutual partners. Promoted: ChaiFlicks – Streaming Jewish Stories from around the World× Araghchi stresses that the focus of talks must be focused on Iran’s nuclear program and not on curbing its ballistic missile program or support for proxy terror groups. “Let’s not talk about impossible things,” he says, in response to a question on those matters by CNN, “And not lose the opportunity to achieve a fair and equitable deal to ensure no nuclear weapons. That as I said, is achievable even in a short period of time.” Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian protester Erfan Soltani has been released on bail, his lawyer tells AFP, after the United States warned that he was due to be executed, though Tehran denied he had been sentenced to death. The 26-year-old “was released yesterday (Saturday) and received all of his belongings including his cellphone,” says lawyer Amir Mousakhani, adding that a bail of “two billion tomans” (around $12,600) was paid for his release. Soltani was arrested on January 10, during recent nationwide protests in Iran. He was held in a detention facility in Karaj outside Tehran, on charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security, the judiciary had said in January. The US State Department had said on its Persian-language X account that he had been sentenced to death. Iran’s judiciary later denied that, saying his case was still under investigation and that the charges against him did not carry the death penalty.

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Former IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin says that while “Western logic” would suggest Iran will not try to preempt a possible American attack and initiate war with the US and Israel, “jihadi logic, extremist religious logic” could be different, and that the IDF should be thoroughly prepared “as though there is going to be a surprise.” He says he hopes that the IDF has an operational model in place, predicated on the idea “that the Iranians may do something that does not seem logical.” Speaking on Channel 12, Yadlin also notes that in recent regional conflicts, those who struck first have enjoyed a strong strategic advantage. And he highlights that the Iranian regime is seeking revenge against Israel for last June’s war. Promoted: ChaiFlicks – Streaming Jewish Stories from around the World× Yadlin, who now heads the non-profit MIND Israel, a national security consultancy, says the IDF is working very closely with the US military in sharing the lessons it learned in past rounds of conflict with Iran, especially last year’s war. The IDF took out more than 200 Iranian missile launchers, a success of profound interest to the Americans, he says. It also established air supremacy over Tehran, though this may be less critical for the US, given its potential use of Tomahawk missiles. He says Israel and the US will need to determine effective deconfliction mechanisms in the event of war. And he stresses the importance of mutual trust and confidence between Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.