With the tone of the news showing US President Donald Trump getting ever closer to a new nuclear deal with Iran, Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday re-issued a threat that Israel remained ready to attack Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The central mission is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Katz told the IDF high command. “Israel will not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, and we [are] prepared – of course, in a deep dialogue with the US.”
The defense minister added that in Israel’s broader wars and in its fight against Iran, “We know we have someone to count on when, in the end, we will be required to undertake decisions. We know that there is someone to execute them: and this is true in any place, including with Iran. If there is a need to act [attack], there is someone who will do it.”
Despite Katz’s threat, top Israeli officials have been telling The Jerusalem Post on an ongoing basis for weeks that there is significant concern that Trump will block Israel from acting so that he can cut a mediocre nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
Deal or no deal?
Although Trump himself continues to mention the possibility of bombing Iran, either by Israel, the US, or both, his public comments have continued to show a heavy progression toward a nuclear deal with the ayatollahs, even if it leaves the nuclear program intact, so long as it pushes the threat farther off into the future and imposes some nuclear limits in the present.
In contrast, since October 26, 2024, when Israel’s air force eliminated Iran’s advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other top IDF officials have repeatedly said publicly or to the Post that attacking Iran’s nuclear program is more doable than ever before.
Israel estimates that the negotiations between the United States and Iran are likely to conclude with an agreement, according to an Israeli official who spoke to the Post. The official clarified that Israel does not yet know whether the agreement will align with its demands – namely, the complete dismantling of uranium enrichment facilities – or if it will resemble the previous nuclear deal, which Israel considers a bad agreement.
Trump said on Sunday that the nuclear talks with Iran are going “very well.” “I think a deal will be reached... We’ll have something without needing to start bombing,” the president told reporters.
Another round of talks between Iran and the US is scheduled for Saturday. The Israeli official who spoke to the Post believes that Trump’s 60-day deadline to reach an agreement will eventually be extended.
An Israeli official told reporters that Israel is in ongoing dialogue with the Americans regarding the nuclear talks.
“The dialogue is not one-sided, and we are expressing our positions. There is continuous communication on many levels. I wouldn’t recommend drawing early conclusions. I’m confident that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.”