TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
US intel suggests Israel preparing strike on Iran's nuclear facilities
It was not clear whether Israeli leaders have made a final decision and there was disagreement within the US government about whether they would ultimately decide to carry out strikes, CNN added, citing the officials.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
This file handout satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on January 28, 2020, shows an overview of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, south of the capital Tehran. Iran announced Saturday it has started up advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium more quickly in a new breach of its undertakings under a troubled 2015 nuclear agreement.Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies / AFP (AFP/Maxar Technologies )
N
ew intelligence obtained by the United States suggests that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing multiple US officials familiar with the intelligence.
It was not clear whether Israeli leaders have made a final decision and there was disagreement within the US government about whether they would ultimately decide to carry out strikes, CNN added, citing the officials.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond, nor did the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which was contacted after hours.
One source familiar with the intelligence told CNN the likelihood of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility "has gone up significantly in recent months."
The person added that the chance of a strike would be more likely if the US reached a deal with Iran that did not remove all of the country's uranium, CNN added.
President Donald Trump's administration has been conducting negotiations with Iran aimed at achieving a diplomatic deal over its nuclear program.
The new intelligence was based on the public and private communications from senior Israeli officials as well as interceptedIsraeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements that could suggest an imminent strike, CNN reported.
CNN cited two sources saying that among the military preparations the US had observed were the movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said US demands that Tehran stop enriching uranium are "excessive and outrageous," state media reported, voicing doubts over whether talks on a new nuclear deal will succeed.
