US intelligence agencies reported in the final weeks of the Biden administration that Israel is contemplating major attacks on Iranian nuclear sites this year, according to sources familiar with the findings, as revealed by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
The report further noted that a similar intelligence analysis was conducted early in the Trump administration, which also concluded that Israel was considering military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
US military leaders have emphasized that for Israel to execute such an operation, American support, including the provision of weaponry, would be crucial.
This intelligence report comes on the heels of recent statements from US President Donald Trump, who expressed a preference for reaching a negotiated agreement with Iran over its nuclear program rather than seeing Israel carry out strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
During his first term in office in 2018, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world’s major powers, re-imposing harsh US sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” strategy aimed at Tehran.
In retaliation, Iran has gradually reduced its adherence to the terms of the agreement.
To further its nuclear ambitions, Iran recently informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intention to “significantly increase” the production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.
Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has reiterated his “maximum pressure” stance against Iran. Just this past week, he imposed new financial sanctions on individuals and entities accused of helping facilitate the shipment of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil to China.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned the Iranian government last week against pursuing talks with the United States, calling such negotiations “reckless.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made it clear on Shabbos that while Iran is open to dialogue with the US, it will not engage under Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy.
“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ‘maximum pressure’ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” Araqchi wrote in a message on Telegram.
{Matzav.com}