US and Iran Are Heading for the Last Round-Up
Iranian negotiators have made clear to the Trump administration that while Iran is willing to discuss possible limits to its nuclear programs, it will not discuss the other items that the Americans demand be considered, including ending Iran’s ballistic missile discussion, its support for proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen, and its murderous response to the millions of protesters who recently turned out in cities across Iran to shout “Death to the Dictator.”
Meanwhile, Israel watches in dismay as the Americans seem willing to continue negotiating with Tehran, even after it has said it will only negotiate on the nuclear issue. More on that Israeli alarm, and the possible unilateral action by Israel to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile threat, can be found here: “Israel warns Trump: We may act alone if Iran crosses ballistic missile red line,” by Avi Ashkenazi, Jerusalem Post, February 8, 2026:
Israeli defense officials recently told their US counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program represents an existential threat, and that Jerusalem is prepared to act unilaterally if necessary.
According to security sources, Israeli intentions to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and production infrastructure were conveyed in recent weeks through a series of high-level exchanges. Military officials outlined operational concepts to degrade the program, including strikes on key manufacturing sites.
In early February, both the head of the IDF, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, and the new Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General. Omer Tishler, visited Washington D.C. to meet with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, to discuss operational plans regarding Iran.
“We told the Americans we will strike alone if Iran crosses the red line we set on ballistic missiles,” the source said, adding that Israel is not yet at that threshold but is continuously tracking developments inside Iran.
The officials stressed that Israel reserves freedom of action and emphasized that it will not allow Iran to restore strategic weapon systems on a scale that threatens Israel’s existence.
One defense official described the current moment as a “historic opportunity” to deliver a significant blow to Iran’s missile infrastructure and neutralize active threats to Israel and neighboring states.
During recent talks, Israel also presented plans to target additional facilities connected to the missile program, according to the official.
It is not just Iran’s remaining store of ballistic missiles that the Israelis plan to target, but also the plants, spread across Iran, where they are being manufactured.
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