US President Donald Trump warned yesterday that renewed military action against Iran was a possibility if the mullahs “misbehave, if they do something bad.”
“Right now, we’ll see. It’s a possibility that could happen, certainly,” the president told reporters before departing Palm Beach, Florida.
Responding to reports that Tehran retains some 15 per cent of its ballistic missile capabilities, Trump said he “would like to eliminate it” as it would constitute “a start for them to build up again.”
Trump said he would be reviewing Tehran’s latest proposal for a diplomatic agreement on the plane. The Trump administration is seeking to settle the Iran issue through a deal or military action “so nobody has to go back in two years or five years,” he added.
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump indicated he was set to reject the Islamic regime’s offer.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, over the last 47 years,” he wrote.
Iran on Thursday presented the United States with a 14-point updated proposal for a framework to end the war.
According to two sources briefed on the plan cited by Axios on Saturday, it proposes a one-month deadline for talks on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the US naval blockade and permanently end the fighting in Iran and Lebanon.
The plan states that negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program would only start after an initial agreement is reached, the sources said.
“First, let us be absolutely clear about the nature of these negotiations. We are not dealing with a rational actor. The regime in Tehran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, and its recent proposals are nothing more than a desperate stalling tactic to rebuild its battered military infrastructure,” Likud MK Dan Illouz said on Sunday.
Illouz said he believes Trump is entirely serious about a potential military option.
“The president has a proven track record of understanding the realities of the Middle East, and he knows that the Iranian regime responds only to unyielding strength. He understands that conceding any control of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran would be a catastrophic surrender for the free world,” Illouz said.
“We have full confidence that the United States, acting as the global superpower it is, will see through these diplomatic manoeuvres, maintain the blockade, and apply the maximum pressure needed to finish the job that began with Operation Epic Fury,” he added.
Addressing what he described as a second, fundamental issue, Illouz stressed that Israel must never outsource its security, even to its closest allies.
“We deeply value our alliance with the United States and our joint efforts in this conflict. However, our survival is not subject to international consensus or diplomatic timetables,” he said.
“If the international community hesitates, or if a political compromise is advanced that leaves the Iranian threat intact, Israel will not wait for permission to defend itself. As we are currently demonstrating against Hezbollah in Lebanon, we have the military capability, the national resolve, and the moral duty to protect our citizens,” he continued.
“If we are forced to act alone to neutralise the Iranian threat once and for all, we will do exactly that. Israel’s security is not up for negotiation,” he concluded.
After Trump on Friday revealed he was “not satisfied” with Tehran’s proposal, a senior Iranian military officer on Saturday said that renewed conflict with the United States was “likely.”
“Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements,” AFP quoted IRGC Brig. Gen. Mohammad Jafar Asadi as saying in an interview published by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Fars News Agency.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that the regime wants to “make a deal because they have no military left.” However, Tehran is “asking for things that I can’t agree to,” he added.
The president attributed the stalemate in negotiations to Iran’s “extremely disjointed” leadership, which was effectively decapitated during the joint U.S.-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic launched on Feb. 28.
Trump was briefed on Thursday by United States Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper on the military’s plans for renewed military strikes against Iran.
CENTCOM has prepared a plan for a “short and powerful” wave of strikes, on targets likely including the Islamic Republic’s key infrastructure, in hopes of breaking the stalemate in the talks, according to Axios.
Meanwhile, Cooper over the weekend visited sailors and marines aboard USS Tripoli, which is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, CENTCOM said in a statement.
The senior military commander “interacted with service members, recognised top performers, and toured various spaces throughout the amphibious assault ship, including the Combat Information Center,” it added.
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