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US President Donald Trump has delayed any decision on a military strike on Iran following concerns expressed by Israel and other allies, Axios reported on Thursday citing officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested Trump defer any attack until the country can boost defenses for a likely Iranian response, Axios cited Israeli and US sources as saying.
But it quoted a US source saying "everyone knows the president keeps his finger over the button."
An Israeli security source cited by the outlet said a US attack plan envisions attacks on military sites in Iran but that Israel has concerns it would not meaningfully destabilize Tehran.
"The Americans are reassessing now," Axios quoted an Arab source as saying.
Trump has repeatedly warned of a military intervention if Iran killed protestors, as the death toll has risen amid a deadly crackdown.
"Eventually the Iranian regime will go down unless the supreme leader speaks directly to DJT. He doesn't trust that anyone else in their system has the authority to actually negotiate," Axios quoted a source as saying, referring to Trump.
Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Thursday his country's ruling system is “on the verge of collapse” and that the authorities’ violent crackdown is a “last-gasp effort to intimidate,” according to an interview with The Economist.
Pahlavi emphasized civil disobedience and non-violence but stressed that Iranians have the right to defend themselves when attacked.
“Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had declared war on the Iranian people a long time ago,” Pahlavi said, calling the Islamic Republic "a domestic enemy".
He presented himself as a transitional figure, saying he would act as a “neutral arbiter” if the current system falls.
"Ever since the killing of Soleimani, Iran has been threatening a variety of people, administration, even before then, Iran has not been shy about making these types of threats, and it points to the level of tension that exists between Iran and the US," Ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith told CNN.
"Don't get me wrong, the world would be a better place if there was a different government in Iran, an Iranian government that was looking after the Iranian people instead of trying to export revolution and basically destroying their country," he added.
"There's tension there. How we manage that is really important, because we don't want to see it blow up and get worse."
"The President and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences. And the President received a message, as he revealed to all of you in the whole world yesterday, that the killing and the executions will stop," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
"The President understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted, and so the President and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table," she added.
Asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested the United States delay any attack on Iran as reported by the New York Times, Leavitt confirmed the two leaders had spoken on Wednesday but declined to elaborate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked US President Donald Trump to postpone an attack on Iran, the New York Times reported on Thursday citing a senior US official, as tensions ramp up amid a deadly crackdown on protests.
The conversation occurred on Wednesday, the newspaper added.
President Trump has repeatedly warned Iran against killing demonstrators and warned the United States was prepared to attack its Mideast arch-foe. But late on Wednesday, Trump appeared to signal a de-escalation by saying killings had ceased in Iran and there would be no executions.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Egypt asked the United States not to attack Iran, the New York Times added citing an Arab official.
