ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
When the Iranian threat collapses, a New Middle East emerges
Amit Segal
February 5, 2026

Abbas Araghchi will not be the first foreign minister to fly urgently to meet Americans in an attempt to prevent war. Before him came Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, in a futile meeting with his counterpart James Baker. Saddam Hussein promised both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush that the United States would discover hell in Iraq, that its forces would die there in droves, and that his country would stand firm. Aziz ended his life in a Baghdad prison; Saddam went to the gallows. The Iranians are no more flexible, no less fanatical, and burdened with the same problems as their hated Iraqi predecessors. Their almost last hope of preventing action lies with the Sunni states of the Middle East. Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia publicly warn that an American strike could escalate into a regional war. In practice, a Middle East expert told me this week, what truly worries them is the almost inevitable outcome of eliminating the ayatollahs’ regime: Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. READ MORE

FDD Negotiating With Iran Is Wrong. Doing So in Oman Is Worse The scheduled talks in Muscat between the United States and Iran on February 6 shines much needed light on the regional role of their host, the Sultanate of Oman. Oman cannot be regarded as a trusted intermediary. While the Gulf state has always claimed neutrality, boasting about its role in helping to secure the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, it has maintained a close strategic relationship with Iran. Currently, Oman serves as a key hub for one of Iran’s most dangerous proxies, the Houthis in Yemen. The choice of Oman as the venue of the talks, which were originally to be hosted by Turkey, could spell trouble for American negotiators.

JPOST Missile barrages and cyber operations: Iran outlines multi-front war plan against US.  Iran has published a detailed concept for war with the United States, describing missile barrages, proxy escalation, cyber operations, and threats to global oil flows, according to the IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency.  The war scenario published by Tasnim begins with US strikes on nuclear and military sites in densely populated areas, followed by a rapid Iranian counter-barrage aimed at US regional base…The plan surfaced this week as US-Iran talks were set for Friday in Muscat, Oman, and after Donald Trump said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried,” raising fears of renewed escalation.