Israel and the United States are carrying out their most intense preparations yet to renew attacks on Iran, possibly as soon as next week, two Middle Eastern officials told The New York Times on Friday.
According to US officials cited by the newspaper, options for renewed operations in Iran include launching a more intense bombing campaign against military and infrastructure sites; conquering Iran’s key oil export hub of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf; and putting commandos on the mainland to extract nuclear material buried under the rubble.
Extracting the highly enriched uranium would risk several casualties and require thousands of supporting forces to create a perimeter around an area of operation and likely engage with Iranian ground troops, the Times cited military officials as saying.
A senior Israeli official was also quoted by Channel 12 as saying Israel was preparing for imminent war and waiting for US President Donald Trump to decide how to proceed in negotiations with Iran to end the conflict.
“The Americans understand that negotiations with Iran are going nowhere,” the unnamed official claimed.
“We’re preparing for days to weeks of fighting and waiting for Trump’s final decision. We’ll know more in 24 hours,” the official said. It was unclear why the official cited a 24 hour window.
Pakistani-mediated negotiations, supported by China, have failed to secure a settlement between the US and Iran, with the talks faltering over Iran’s nuclear program and the post-war control of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, departing after a two-day visit to China, Trump said he would accept a 20-year suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program if Tehran gave a “real” guarantee, in an apparent shift from his earlier demand that Iran pledge to permanently halt enrichment.
While Iran, whose leaders are sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking nuclear arms, it has amassed uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels with no peaceful application.
Iran’s stockpile of about 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of highly enriched uranium — enough for about ten nuclear warheads — is thought to have been buried following US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June last year.
Iraq’s new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, said at a press conference on Saturday that his country exported 10 million barrels via the strait in April, down from about 93 million barrels monthly before the Iran war.
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