Posted on 02/12/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Washngton, D.C. - Feb. 12, 2025 - US intelligence agencies concluded during the final days of the Biden administration that Israel is considering significant strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this year, officials familiar with the report told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
According to the report, another intelligence assessment written in the early days of the Trump administration also determined that Israel is considering strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.
US military officials said that American support, including arms, is essential for Israel to carry out such attacks.
The report follows comments from US President Donald Trump in recent days that he would rather reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear program than have Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
In 2018, during his first term in office, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, reinstating strict US sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.
In response, Iran has taken many steps to scale back its compliance with the deal.
In its latest step to advance its nuclear program, Iran recently informed the IAEA of its intention to "significantly increase" its production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has reaffirmed his “maximum pressure” approach against Iran, and this past week imposed financial sanctions on individuals and entities accused of facilitating the shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil to China.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last week cautioned the government against engaging in talks with Washington, describing such a move as “reckless.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made clear on Saturday that Iran is open to negotiations with the United States but not under Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy.
“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ‘maximum pressure’ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” Araqchi stated in a message published on Telegram.