United States Gives Israel Hints that It Will Use Military Option Against Iran
Jose Nino
|
Ahead of speculation that the United States government will re-enter a nuclear deal with Iran, US officials have re-assured Defense Minister Benny Gantz that the US has a credible military option against Iran.
According to a report by The Times of Israel, an Israeli defense official claimed to have received “good hints” with regards to the US having a functional offensive plan against Iran. The Israeli official did not provide specifics, but claimed that this offensive plan could make Iran become more flexible throughout the negotiation process of the nuclear agreement.
If Iran does not yield, the Israeli official claimed that the US would be prepared to join Israel in taking military action against Iran.
The official claimed that US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan had an “intimate” and “positive” meeting with Gantz. During this meeting, Gantz was adamant about how a renewed deal was “very bad.”
According to the official, Iran’s nuclear program has grown significantly since 2018 when the administration of former President Donald Trump exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The official believes that Trump’s decision to exit the deal was a mistake.
Now, the official maintains that Israel faces the following two scenarios:
No agreement, allowing Iran to gradually expand its nuclear program further, or a bad deal that does not serve Israel’s interests.
The official called attention to two principal concerns with regards to the current deal that is being negotiated:
The so-called sunset clause, which will lift limitations on Iran’s nuclear program when the accord expires; and sanctions relief that would allow Iran to increase funding to its proxies.
The official emphasized that Israel would still have significant freedom to take action against Iran and its allegedly hostile maneuvers across the Middle East.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson published a readout that said “Sullivan emphasized President Biden’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, and the two exchanged views on ways to deepen the US-Israel security partnership, including via regional cooperation and coordination.”
“They discussed US commitment to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and the need to counter threats from Iran and Iran-based proxies. They also discussed the need to ensure equal measures of security, freedom, and prosperity for Palestinians and Israelis alike, and the importance of ongoing follow-through on initiatives announced during President Biden’s trip to Israel,” the statement added.
Israel and Iran have been in a “shadow war” of sorts since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Iran is an explicitly anti-Zionist state and has armed proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to curb Israel’s geopolitical ambitions and form an “axis of resistance” against it.
While some of these geopolitical struggles may look harrowing to the naked eye, they are of no concern to America.
Let’s face it, the Middle East is of no strategic concern to the US. The US is now more energy independent and Arab States have made efforts to cooperate more with Israel on security affairs to bring more security balance to the region.
Ultimately, the US’s primary geopolitical threats lie across its southern border in the form of drug cartels, human trafficking rings, and other criminal actors who can penetrate the border almost at will. Border security is the primary security concern for the US at the moment, anything else is just a distraction at this point, and at worst, a flagrant misuse of America’s military resources.
Share: