Israel pressing for Iran strike, Trump remains reluctant: Report
The Israeli regime has been pressing US President Donald Trump to authorize a strike on Iran, but Trump has remained reluctant, according to a report citing statements from US officials.
Axios said in a Tuesday report that the head of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, had urged his US counterpart that the United States should launch an attack on Iran.
It said, however, that Zamir failed to persuade US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine during a meeting in Washington over the weekend that a strike on Iran would be the right course of action.
“It’s safe to say that nothing came out of that meeting to change his or the president’s mind on attacking Iran,” the report quoted a US official as saying, referring to Caine and Trump.
“It’s really the Israelis who want a strike. The president is just not there,” the official added.
The report comes as the threat of a military confrontation between Iran and the US has de-escalated in recent days, following statements from both sides that they might resume talks surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program.
The threat had grown last week after Trump said he had ordered US military assets to sail toward waters near Iran.
Iranian authorities responded by warning that even a single shot fired at the country would trigger a massive reaction.
Axios quoted another US official as saying that Trump “really does not want to do” the attack.
It also quoted three senior Trump advisers as saying that Trump had been in favor of an attack on Iran after the country was gripped by riots sparked by protests against economic conditions in early January.
They said that Trump and many in his close orbit are now skeptical that a military attack on Iran would be the right decision.
Axios and Reuters news agency said in reports on Monday that Iranian and US representatives plan to resume nuclear talks on Friday in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Iranian officials have yet to confirm the reports, which claimed Tehran would soften its position on US demands for a nuclear deal.
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