ROME — The United States and Iran are set to convene a critical fourth round of indirect negotiations in Rome this week, as international concerns mount over Tehran’s expanding nuclear pursuits and continued destabilizing activities through terror proxies across the Middle East.
This new round of talks, mediated by European diplomats, focuses on containing Iran’s uranium enrichment and re-establishing stringent oversight of Iranian nuclear facilities. Western officials express grave concern as the Islamic Republic—who openly supports and supplies terror groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—has made rapid advancements in uranium enrichment since the collapse of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed enrichment levels in Iran far surpassing agreed-upon limits, bringing the regime perilously close to breakout capability for nuclear weapon production.
For Israel, this development represents a direct and existential threat. Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught—the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust—Israeli defense authorities have consistently linked Tehran’s nuclear program to its regional ambitions and sponsorship of violence against Israel. The terrorist incursion on October 7, orchestrated by Iran-armed Hamas, resulted in mass murder, abduction of civilians, and sexual atrocities, highlighting the dangers posed by Iran’s pursuit of both nuclear and proxy warfare capabilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have reiterated that no agreement with Iran can ensure regional security unless it is strictly enforced and backed by a credible threat of force. Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir emphasized recently that Iran only responds to pressure and that continued international vigilance is essential to preventing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from advancing its nuclear and missile aspirations.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a campaign of “maximum pressure,” intensifying economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation after Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA. Efforts under the Biden administration to revive the accord have stalled, largely due to Iran’s escalating demands and persistent support for violence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and Yemen. As the Rome meetings approach, American and European officials appear divided on tactics but united in their alarm regarding Iran’s refusal to curtail its nuclear and ballistic missile activities.
European mediators view the Rome summit as a last-ditch measure to keep the prospect of a non-nuclear Iran alive. However, confidence in Iran’s willingness to comply has eroded; Israel and its partners cite not only enrichment violations, but also the regime’s ongoing abduction of dual nationals and its aggressive regional agenda as obstacles to diplomacy.
Israel’s Iron Swords War—a campaign launched after October 7—has significantly shifted the regional calculus, intensifying Israel’s multi-front conflict with Iran-backed proxies. The IDF’s operations in Gaza, its defensive measures against Hezbollah in northern Israel, and airstrikes on IRGC-linked targets in Syria underline the direct linkage between the nuclear dossier and Iran’s regional campaign of terror. Western intelligence sources warn that any further Iranian nuclear escalation could trigger spiraling conflict, destabilizing not only Israel but moderate Arab states and Europe itself.
The talks in Rome are set against the backdrop of persistent attacks by Iranian proxies: rocket fire from Gaza, military buildup in Lebanon, drone and missile strikes from the Houthis in Yemen, and persistent IRGC activity in Syria and Iraq. These relentless hostilities are a testament to the expanding influence of the so-called “Axis of Resistance”—a coalition sponsored, armed, and coordinated by Iran. Israeli analysts argue that diplomatic success remains unlikely unless international resolve is demonstrated through enhanced sanctions, credible military readiness, and a unified Western front opposing Iranian nuclearization.
Security experts stress that a successful nuclear agreement must not only address enrichment but also Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and state sponsorship of terror. To this end, Israeli officials continue to urge the U.S. and Europe to condition any future deal on the dismantling of the IRGC’s presence beyond Iran’s borders and verifiable cessation of logistics and funding to Islamist terror organizations.
The legacy of October 7 looms large. Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, many of them women, children, and elderly civilians, remain captive in Gaza. Their ordeal, along with ongoing rocket barrages and Iranian provocations, serve as stark reminders of the stakes involved in enforcing nuclear nonproliferation.
As diplomats gather in Rome, the question remains whether dialogue can meaningfully constrain Iran’s foreign policy doctrine or whether a new phase of proliferation and violence is imminent. The outcome will shape not only Israel’s security, but the future of the Middle East and the integrity of the global nonproliferation regime.
