The United States has obtained new intelligence suggesting that Israel is preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, even as the US administration pursues diplomatic efforts with Tehran, multiple US officials familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN.
Such an action would constitute a significant break with President Donald Trump’s policy and could risk escalating a broader regional conflict in the Middle East.
Officials cautioned that it remains unclear if Israeli leaders have made a final decision on a strike. There is also deep disagreement within the US government regarding the likelihood of Israel ultimately acting.
However, one person familiar with US intelligence on the issue said, “the chance of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility has gone up significantly in recent months.”
The prospect of a Trump-negotiated US-Iran deal that does not completely remove Iran’s uranium is seen as increasing the likelihood of such a strike.
Heightened concerns stem from public and private messaging from senior Israeli officials, as well as intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements, including the movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence.
These indicators could also be interpreted as Israel attempting to pressure Iran by signalling potential consequences.
An Israeli source told CNN that Israel would be prepared to carry out military action on its own if the US were to negotiate what the source described as a “bad deal” with Iran, which Israel could not accept.
Previous US intelligence reports have indicated that Israel lacks the capacity to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme without American assistance, including mid-air refuelling and bunker-buster bombs.
The intelligence emerges as the Trump administration has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Tehran. In mid-March, President Trump set a 60-day deadline for these efforts to succeed in a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a source familiar with the communication. More than 60 days have passed since that letter was delivered.
Khamenei said on Tuesday that he does not expect negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme to “reach a conclusion,” calling the US demand that Iran not enrich uranium a “big mistake.” Iran maintains its right to enrich uranium under the United Nations’ Treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and states it will not relinquish this right under any circumstances.
US intelligence agencies had issued warnings in February that Israel would likely attempt to strike facilities critical to Iran’s nuclear programme this year, CNN previously reported.
