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Iran’s government is nervous and has engaged in urgent diplomatic efforts with Middle Eastern countries to see if it can scale back Israel’s response to a missile attack earlier this month. This matter is with CNN.
Iran’s concern stems from uncertainty over whether the United States will convince Israel not to attack Iranian nuclear sites and oil facilities, and its most important proxy militia in the region, Hezbollah, has been significantly weakened by Israeli military operations in recent weeks. Sources said.
The U.S. is consulting with Israel on how to respond to Iran’s October 1 attack, and U.S. officials have made clear they do not want Israel to target Iranian nuclear sites or oil fields. US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, their first conversation in nearly two months, saying Israel’s response must be “proportionate”.
America’s Gulf allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, have expressed concern to the United States about a possible attack on Iranian oil facilities, which could create negative economic and environmental impacts for the entire region, an Arab diplomat said. CNN.
The Biden administration is deeply concerned that the ongoing back-and-forth between Iran and Israel, which began earlier this year after Iran attacked what it said was its embassy in Damascus, could spiral into a major regional war that could draw the United States into it. , too.
Much of the fear is the gradual decline of US influence with Israel over the past year. As with its actions in Gaza, Israel has ignored US calls for more control in Lebanon, where Israel’s intensified bombing campaign and ground offensive have killed more than 1,400 people since late last month.
Israel did not consult with the United States before last month’s massive attack that blew up thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah operatives, or the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and a delicate cease-fire proposal. America and France in less than 48 hours.
Israel’s defense cabinet has yet to decide how to proceed, an Israeli official told CNN on Friday. While the gap between the US and Israeli positions is narrowing, a US official said it should not stay that way.
“We can’t really know whether they voted or not,” a senior administration official said of the Israeli cabinet’s deliberations. The official suggested that the Israeli government “cannot put too much stock in the machinations”.
As of last week, CNN reported that Israel had made no commitment not to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israel has been planning attacks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities for decades, and simulated striking them in a military exercise two years ago. In recent years Israel is suspected of carrying out assassinations against Iranian nuclear scientists, and Iran’s nuclear facilities have been under siege by cyber attacks, possibly originating from Israel – most famously the Stuxnet virus, which managed to infiltrate Iran’s Natanz nuclear power plant.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday issued a stern warning to Iran about his country’s response.
“Our strike will be powerful, precise and above all – surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened,” Gallant said.
The Arab diplomat said the Gulf states, by and large, are keen to stay on the sidelines of the conflict. Iran’s neighbors are unlikely to openly come to Tehran’s defense in the event of an Israeli attack, with Iran publicly warning that any party perceived to be aiding Israel would be considered aggressors.
But Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have told both the United States and Iran that they will not allow Israel to use their airspace to attack Iran, an Arab diplomat and another source told CNN. Jordan will protect its airspace from any unauthorized intrusion, a Jordanian official said.
The US does not believe Iran wants to be embroiled in a full-scale war with Israel, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi telling Al Jazeera this week that Netanyahu is “a warmonger and wants to set the region on fire”. Stay in power.”
But the US has still urged Tehran through back channels to calibrate its response if Israel strikes, an official said.
As Qatar continued to talk to the Iranians and relay what they were saying back to the US, the US official eventually said, “We don’t know what. [Iran] Will.” Key voices inside Iran will have different ideas about how to respond to Israel, but that will depend on the scale and scope of the much-anticipated Israeli move, another US official said.
The official said that messaging from Iran, both publicly and privately, has not changed significantly since Tehran fired missiles at Israel earlier this month.
An Arab diplomat told CNN that Iran is particularly interested in getting Saudi Arabia’s help in deterring an Israeli attack and using their influence with Washington to resolve the crisis.
Officials from each country have met three times in less than a month, and Arachi traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to “discuss regional developments” and “try to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and Gaza.” media.
The world is watching Israel’s every move. But at least until sundown on Saturday, Israel will stop to mark Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Although Israel is unlikely to launch an operation, shops, restaurants and other services will be closed, public transport will not operate and the country’s main airport – Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv – will also be closed.
CNN’s Kayla Tausche, Dania Karni and Katie Bo Lillis Contributed report.
