The Israeli government will not dare to strike Iran’s nuclear infrastructure facilities without direct approval and support from US President Donald Trump, Financial Times (FT) reported, citing Israeli and Arab diplomats.
In their view, Israel will refrain from military action unless backed by the White House, out of fear of alienating Trump and losing his backing, as well as due to concerns that unilateral strikes on Iran without US involvement would have minimal impact.
Meanwhile, Trump himself is currently focused on pursuing diplomatic solutions to address Iran’s nuclear program. According to the newspaper, the US president is not giving in to pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is pushing for more assertive and forceful measures from Washington. According to the newspaper’s sources, Netanyahu attempted to persuade Trump to support military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities even before the presidential inauguration but did not succeed in obtaining the desired outcome.
At the same time, since Trump assumed office, Netanyahu has become more assertive and bolder in the Middle East, actively targeting Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli government is aware of the unpredictability of the Trump administration’s stance, so diplomats believe it will proceed with caution and avoid provoking Washington through unauthorized actions toward Iran.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Israel had presented the US with several proposals for strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. On April 17, The New York Times, citing sources, stated that Israel was already preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in May and believed that the US would play a key role in preparing the operation and providing Israel with protection against a potential Iranian counterattack.
In turn, according to the newspaper, Donald Trump has opted for a diplomatic resolution of tensions with Iran and in early April informed Israel that he would not endorse such a military operation. According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated during talks between Iranian and US officials on April 12 in Muscat, Oman, that Tehran was ready to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency to demonstrate the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities. However, Araghchi emphasized that this would only be possible if sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors were lifted.
