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In calls with Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the recent escalation in the Middle East amid Iran’s ongoing threats against Israel.
According to the State Department, Blinken told Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry that “an escalation by Iran would not benefit anyone in the region.”
The two sides also addressed the conflict in Gaza and discussed ways to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave and to achieve an immediate ceasefire conducive to the release of all Hamas’s hostages.
Earlier on Friday, Blinken also spoke with Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, stressing “the urgent need to avoid further escalation in the region by Iran,” the State Department said.
Ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel was another pivotal issue addressed in the phone call. In the case of finalization, an at least six-week truce is to be declared in the region which would see the release of Israelis held captive by the Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Over the past days, there have been widespread and intensive international consultations to prevent the intensification of tensions in the Middle East. Since Israel’s deadly April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iranian regime officials have time and again vowed reprisals.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and UAE contacted their Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, at the request of the US, in an attempt to persuade Tehran to avoid a direct confrontation with Israel.
Germany's Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines have suspended their flights to Tehran after reports confirmed that Iran’s attack on Israel seems imminent.
Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
Israelis are in complete terror, awaiting Iran’s retaliatory attack, IRGC General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, chief military advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said late on Friday.
Rahim-Safavi who was speaking at a memorial service for IRGC officers killed in an Israeli air strike in Damascus on April 1, claimed that Israel has refrained from attacking the Rafah area in Gaza, because it awaits an attack from Iran.
The Biden administration has decided to let sanctions waivers for Iran-Russia nuclear cooperation expire. This has allowed the two countries to carry on with their joint nuclear activities.
However, the administration has not yet determined whether they will enforce the sanctions, leaving some uncertainty surrounding US policy, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon.
According to the report, Iran and Russia are progressing with Tehran's planned expansion of its nuclear reactors. The waivers, last renewed in August 2023, expired at the start of 2024.
These would enable Russian-state-controlled organizations to generate more than $10 billion in revenue, with a focus on the Rosatom energy company involved in various nuclear ventures in Iran.
A spokesperson from the State Department mentioned an ongoing assessment process without offering a clear reason for the lapse. The uncertainty has led to queries being raised in Congress, particularly as Iran is preparing to make significant investments.
Republican legislators have continuously pushed the Biden administration to end the waivers and enforce penalties to stop such cooperation. Iran and Russia have been working to increase Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Iran's declaration of intentions to upgrade its Russian-made Bushehr nuclear plant and build other nuclear reactors highlights the need for action from the US, as The Free Beacon reported.
These plans have gained more significance by Iran's uranium enrichment efforts, leading to more concerns. Initially, the Obama administration granted waivers under the 2015 JCPOA nuclear pact, which were subsequently revoked by the Trump administration. However, President Joe Biden restored them as part of diplomatic endeavors to bring back the agreement.
Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
The US believes Iran may attack Israel from inside its territory as Tehran officials constantly vow revenge for the deaths of top IRGC generals in an Israeli strike in Damascus, CNN reported.
“The US had observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and cruise missiles, signaling that it was preparing to attack Israeli targets from inside its own territory,” the report quoted two informed sources as saying.
According to one CNN source, Iran has recently been tracked to have readied around 100 cruise missiles. “It was not clear whether Iran was preparing to strike from its soil as part of an initial attack, or if it was posturing to try to deter Israel or the United States from conducting a possible counter strike on its territory,” the report added.
Washington also believes that Tehran might involve its regional proxies in its retaliatory attack and that the potential targets can be both on the Israeli soil and abroad, the CNN said.
Earlier on Friday, the White House confirmed that Iran’s threats against Israel are “real,” “viable” and “credible.”
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden told reporters that Iran’s reprisals would occur “sooner than later,” but the regime “will not succeed” as Washington is committed to Israel’s security and will help it defend itself against threats.
On April 1, Israel launched a precision missile strike on Iran's consulate building in Damascus, killing 7 IRGC forces, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the highest-ranking commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force (IRGC-QF) in Lebanon and Syria. Since then, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials have vowed revenge against Israel.
President Joe Biden all but confirmed Friday night that his “Don’t” message to the Iran's government would not stop its looming retaliatory attack against Israel.
“Sooner rather than later,” he said, when reporters asked him about the timing of Iran’s seemingly imminent attack, reiterating that the US is “devoted to the defense of Israel” and would not allow Iran “to succeed.”
Many Iranian officials have been walking the line drawn by their Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his speech on Wednesday, that Israel has to be “punished” for bombing Iran’s consulate in Damascus, and killing two senior Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders.
On Friday, IRGC’s deputy commander of operations General Abbas Nilforushan posted an image resembling a missile with the quote by Khamenei written on it: “The Zionist regime made a mistake by attacking the Iranian consulate. It should be punished and it will be.”
For a moment Friday night, it seemed like the ‘punishment’ had started, with Hezbollah firing 40 rackets towards Israel. It had no follow up, however. The Israeli army announced that it had shot down most rockets and that those slipping through had hit open spaces.
After three days of speculation, laden with media reports quoting anonymous American sources, some began questioning the veracity of the underlying intelligence, suggesting that the regime in Iran could be playing a mind game, sowing confusion, and shaking Israel without so much as raising a finger.
But most governments seem to continue to take the threat seriously, advising their citizens to avoid traveling to –or even leave– Iran and Israel. European airlines Lufthansa, Austrian, and Air France, have suspended their flights to and from Tehran. Australian airline Qantas has paused its non-stop flights from Perth to London because the 17.5 hour flight is possible only by using Iranian airspace.
Airlines are perhaps more concerned because the memory of Iran’s last “hard revenge” is still fresh –when on January 8, 2020, following the assassination of Iran’s preeminent military man, Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC shut down the Ukrainian passenger flight PS752, killing all 176 on board. First Iran denied it had targeted the plane with two anti-air missiles, but then grudgingly admitted its role but claiming it was a missile operator error.
Many in Iran fear that they would end up paying the price, however the current crisis unfolds. A ‘significant’ attack on Israeli interests, as predicted by US intelligence, could beget severe retaliation from a beleaguered Netanyahu looking to reassert his authority. And a decision to not retaliate against Israel, many Iranians fear, could mean their government channeling its rage and anxiety inwards, taking it on the people instead of foreign militaries.
“Ali Khamenei is trying to start a war to save his failing regime,” Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi posted on X. “But this is not a war that our nation wants. Iranians have made it clear: the criminal mafia occupying Iran does not represent our nation, our values, or our aspirations.”
In reality, the wishes or aspirations of ordinary Iranians has very little bearing on the looming crisis. The likeliest scenario, still, is Iran attacking Israeli interests through allied armed groups in the region.
CNN reported late Friday that US intelligence has observed some movement of Iranian military assets, including cruise missiles and one-way drones around the country. This may hint at direct strikes against Israel from Iranian territory, which contradicts other intelligence suggesting any potential operation would be launched by Iran’s proxies.
According to the report, US officials are unsure if these movements are offensive preparations or defensive measures in anticipation of a joint Israeli-American retaliatory strike.
Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
