Iran's president has confirmed that Tehran will negotiate directly with United States, after weeks of escalating tensions between the two countries.

A senior Iranian official has told Al Jazeera that those talks are expected to be held in Turkiye in the coming days.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Ahead of those negotiations, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Israel for talks with Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza and Iran.

Senior Israeli military officials have also been in Washington for talks on possible Iran strikes.

Al Jazeera looks at why many in Israel are lobbying against a diplomatic breakthrough.

Daniel Levy is President of the US Middle East Project and a former Israeli political negotiator, and he says Israel is actively trying to block any real US‑Iran diplomatic breakthrough because its strategic goal is not de‑escalation but regime and even state collapse in Iran.