The Netanyahu-Israel War: An Abrupt Breakdown in the U.S.-Iranian Relations after the September 11 Violations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement posted to social media that the attack would continue for as many days as it takes.
Iran is buying time and refuses to agree to the basic requirement of peaceful nations. That is why we have no choice but to act and act now,” Netanyahu said.
Israel launched the strikes because it was concerned about Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu claimed that Israel attacked Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility.
So, Trump is making a major gamble here, thinking that this actually will soften the Iranian position and make them capitulate. If they don’t, what are his options? The Israelis hope that the Iranians will not capitulate and that will force the US into a war.
Sirens also sounded across Israel in the hours before dawn: an Israel military official told NPR the alarms were pre-emptive. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement declaring a “special state of emergency” across the country, and to expects missile and drone retaliation.
There were reports of loud explosions in the northeast of Tehran. Iranian state TV reported that the Revolutionary Guards’ commander was killed in a strike by Israel. The Revolutionary Guards are an important component of Iran’s armed forces and wield significant political and military influence.
Ahead of planned negotiations with Iran on Sunday aimed at addressing international concerns over the country’s enrichment program, Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists were killed by Israeli strikes.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu said early Friday, adding that the operation would “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s survival.”
In a Morning Edition interview, U.S.-Iranian relations expert Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told NPR’s Michel Martin that Israel does not want to see the U.S. and Iran resolve their problems and improve their relationship.
The Iran Secret Program and the War on Nuclear Reactors in the Framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty? Martin: The case against a nuclear attack on Iran
Danny Danon: Well, we obtained the information about a secret program that included all the necessary parts to put together a bomb. The IAEA decided and reported that Iran possesses enough material for multiple nuclear weapons. We decided to take a preventative action because we didn’t want to be surprised.
Let’s discuss the intel you said you got about an Iranian secret program and various components of a bomb. Iran insists they have the right to launch a nuclear program, but denies they have a plan to build a nuclear weapon. Are you saying that they are on their way to making a bomb and the secret program has the ability to do it?
Danon: No. Moreover, we have the intelligence that it wasn’t like a nuclear reactors for civil usage. It was a covert program hidden from the international community. And once we realized that they are playing the game and they are getting very close to the point of no return, we couldn’t take that risk. They sent a lot of drones a few hours ago. There will probably be missiles flying into Israel in the next few days. So we cannot wait for the day that they will actually be able to put the nuclear capability on those ballistic missiles that they have already.
But Trump shifted his position a couple of weeks ago and was no longer content with just limiting the program. He wants to essentially eliminate the program. That didn’t lead anywhere, predictably. And now instead, it appears that he has shifted towards allowing the Israelis to conduct these strikes in order to see whether that will change the Iranian position or not.
Martin: As Iranian state media says, Tehran will respond decisively to the Israeli strikes. This has been said to make it more probable that Iran will continue to pursue a nuclear program.
Parsi: Well, nothing really strengthens your desire for nuclear deterrence than actually being attacked. And you have now several heads of the Atomic Energy Agency who have been warning that any attack on Iran will increase the likelihood that the Iranians will leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty and move towards a bomb. And that risk is now very significant.
The Air Force’s Nuclear Enrichment Program: Israel, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, and Non-Protection in the Light of Jordan and Jordan
Israel and Jordan both said that their air force blocked attacks on Israel by Iranian drones. Jordan, Israel, Iran and Iraq closed their airspace to civilian traffic while other countries diverted or canceled flights.
Iran is insubordinate to non-proliferation agreements after being declared so by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran’s enrichment program is for peaceful purposes.