The United States has gathered fresh intelligence suggesting that Israel is preparing for possible strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, CNN reported, citing several US officials familiar with the matter. This comes as the Trump administration has been in talks to achieve a diplomatic deal with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
The report added that it is unclear whether the Israeli leaders have made a final decision, while some within the US government argue over the likelihood of the possible strikes, which depends on how Israel thinks of the US negotiations on the nuclear program with Tehran. Such strikes would risk a broader regional conflict in the Middle East.
Also read | Iran denies receiving written proposal from US on nuclear deal, but Trump says ‘they have a proposal’
The possibility of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites has “gone up significantly in recent months,” sources told CNN. “And the prospect of a Trump-negotiated US-Iran deal that doesn’t remove all of Iran’s uranium makes the chance of a strike more likely.”
According to the report, the intelligence came from public and private messaging from senior Israeli officials, intercepted Israeli communications, and military movements that suggest a possible strike. Two sources told the news outlet that the US has observed movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise.
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US-Iran nuclear talks
Earlier on Tuesday (May 20), Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticised the US for demanding that Tehran halt uranium enrichment. He also voiced doubts over whether nuclear talks with the US will reach an agreement.
US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Iran if Tehran’s nuclear program fails amid his administration’s efforts to negotiate a deal. Earlier in March, Trump warned Khamenei in a letter, setting a 60-day deadline for those efforts to make progress, the CNN report added. It has been over 60 days since the letter was sent and 38 days since the first round of talks started.
Another round of talks is set to take place in Europe this week, said United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. While both the US and Iran put forward a proposal, there is no current US proposal with Trump’s sign-off despite more than a month of talks facilitated by Oman.
