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Could the US and Israel be on the brink of launching a new attack on Iran? President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have suggested that is on the table.
Transcription
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Could the US and Israel be on the brink of launching a new attack on Iran? President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have suggested that is on the table. And now there is new reporting about war plans that the two countries are preparing for the beginning of November. NPR’s Daniel Estrin is on the line from Tel Aviv. Morning.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMER: Daniel, what can you tell us about these plans?
ESTRIN: I spoke with a person briefed on the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly, but said the US and Israel are working on plans for a potential strike on Iran as early as early November, after Israeli elections that take place next week and after US midterm elections, which are on November 3. This information was all first reported by the Financial Times and the New York Times. Netanyahu denied the reports.
SUMMER: But Daniel, didn’t Netanyahu openly threaten an attack?
ESTRIN: He did. All this just came out in the last few days. On Sunday, President Trump endorsed Netanyahu for re-election. Israelis go to the polls next Tuesday. And Trump said the reason he supported him was that he said we might have to finish the job in Iran and that he needed the support of Netanyahu and Israel to do that. And since Trump endorsed Netanyahu, Netanyahu campaigned for re-election on the promise that he would strike Iran.
Just yesterday, Netanyahu gave a speech saying that the new Supreme Leader of Iran is trying to develop what he called the bombs of death, referring to nuclear weapons. And Netanyahu said there is only one way to remove this threat once and for all – to overthrow the regime in Iran. He said that is his directive to the Israeli military and to Israeli security and intelligence agencies. He said that the supreme leader did not learn his lesson from the previous two rounds of war that Iran faced with Israel and the United States.
SUMMER: How do people in Israel react?
ESTRIN: Many analysts in Israel are actually criticizing this strategy that Netanyahu is leading. One Israeli analyst, Danny Citrinowicz, formerly headed the Iranian branch of Israeli military intelligence, and he argues that it is actually the United States and Israel that have not learned the lessons of previous wars. He said more attacks would not convince Iran to abandon its nuclear or ballistic missile ambitions and program. And he said that Iran, this time, if there is a war, can retaliate with even more severe attacks that can affect the world markets. So the question he asks is, what would another military campaign actually accomplish that the last two failed to accomplish?
SUMMER: Daniel, what can you tell us about how the United States is preparing for war?
ESTRIN: My colleague Tom Bowman reports that Pentagon officials have told him that the United States is moving a third aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, to the region, and that it is expected to arrive in the region later next month. We know that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu in Israel earlier this week. But I should stress, Juana, an attack cannot happen. This war preparation could be part of a campaign to pressure Iran to reach a diplomatic deal. It is certain – all this talk – serves Netanyahu’s own re-election campaign. He is behind in the election against his main challenger, and therefore he is fighting very hard on this new line of a possible war.
SUMMER: And one last thing, Daniel, before we let you go – what does Iran have to say about all of this?
ESTRIN: Iran’s foreign minister says that just as Iran is ready for diplomacy, it is ready for war. He said that every scenario is conceivable, including the possibility of an attack by the United States and Israel. Iranian state media also reported that Iranian officials say that if civilian infrastructure in their country is attacked, it would retaliate by targeting US interests in the region. Iran is also threatening to target data centers and underwater internet cables in the Gulf. And that really makes the Gulf countries very nervous. There is a new report from the International Monetary Fund that the Gulf economies have taken a very serious blow from the previous rounds of US and Israeli attacks.
SUMMER: NPR’s Daniel Estrin on the line from Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.
ESTRIN: You’re welcome.
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