Israeli politicians and military officials revealed on Wednesday that the United States intends to attack Iranian nuclear facilities in the coming weeks.
A senior Israeli government official told the British newspaper, the Daily Mail: “This should have been done a long time ago. It’s time to put an end to this.”
Referring to statements by US President Donald Trump calling on Iranian authorities to resume negotiations on its nuclear program, he added: “These are not crazy demands. This is extremely important for stability in Israel and the world.”
A source in Israeli diplomatic circles explained that “Israeli leadership sees Trump’s return to the White House as the best moment to deal with Iran,” and that “another such opportunity will not be available.”
In turn, an Israeli military source said, “The attacks carried out by Israeli aircraft over the past year on Syria, Iran and Iraq have removed the main obstacles to a major air operation – the air defense systems of the Iranian military.”
The newspaper noted that “the transfer of B-2 Spirit strategic bombers to the American-British military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean may be evidence of US preparations to launch an attack on Iran,” noting that there are currently seven such aircraft there, in addition to refueling aircraft.
Last Sunday, Trump renewed his threat to bomb Iran if it does not accept his offer for nuclear talks, which he sent to the Iranian leadership in early March, giving it two months to decide.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded on Monday, saying that Washington would receive a “strong slap in the face” if it attacked his country, as he put it.
Iranian authorities also sent a letter to the UN Security Council, complaining about what they described as “reckless threats that constitute a blatant violation of international law.”
It is worth noting that Iran responded to Trump’s announcement last week, refusing to hold direct negotiations between the two countries.
However, it did not close the door to talks completely, stating that it prefers to negotiate its nuclear program indirectly, that is, through a third country.
Axios Channel quoted American sources as saying that the White House, despite significantly strengthening its military presence in the Middle East, is seriously considering Tehran’s offer for indirect negotiations.
The website reported, citing a senior American official, that Donald Trump had accepted Iran’s response to his letter. In the letter, Trump proposed direct nuclear negotiations, but Tehran agreed only to indirect negotiations mediated by Oman.
According to the report, A heated internal debate is raging within the White House between those who believe that an agreement with Iran is still possible, and those who consider negotiations pointless and support an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.