CNN —
The Iranian government is extremely nervous and is in talks with Middle Eastern countries to see if it can reduce the scale of Israel’s response to the missile attack earlier this month, and if that fails, whether it can help defend Tehran. Sources said that urgent diplomatic efforts are underway. He spoke about this to CNN.
Iran’s anxiety is compounded by uncertainty over whether the United States will be able to persuade Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities, and by the region’s most important proxy militia, Hezbollah, which has been attacked by Israel’s military in recent weeks. This stems from the fact that it has been significantly weakened by the operation. officials said.
The United States is consulting with Israel on how to plan to respond to the Oct. 1 attack on Iran, and U.S. officials have made clear they do not want Israel to target Iran’s nuclear facilities or oil fields. . US President Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in nearly two months, saying Israel’s retaliation should be “proportional.”
The United States’ Gulf allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, have also expressed concern to the United States about a possible attack on Iranian oil facilities that could have negative economic and environmental impacts across the region. An Arab diplomat told CNN.
The Biden administration has warned that a series of retaliatory attacks between Iran and Israel, which began earlier this year after Israel attacked what it said was the Iranian consulate in Damascus, has escalated into a major regional war involving the United States. I am deeply concerned that this may happen. , too.
A major part of the concern is that US influence over Israel appears to have steadily declined over the past year. As with the operation in Gaza, Israel is increasingly ignoring U.S. calls for more restraint in Lebanon, where an intense Israeli bombing campaign and ground attacks have killed more than 1,400 people since late last month.
Israel also threatened a delicate cease-fire proposed by Israel before carrying out a major attack last month that blew up thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah operatives, or assassinating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. They did not consult with the US before reversing the plan. USA and France arrived within 48 hours.
Israel’s security cabinet has not yet reached a decision on how to proceed, an Israeli official told CNN on Friday. US officials also said that while the gap between the positions of the US and Israel is narrowing, it may not remain this way.
“We don’t actually know whether they voted or not,” a senior administration official said of Israeli cabinet discussions, expressing skepticism about the level of transparency about what Israel is sharing with the United States. . The official suggested that Israel cannot “get too involved in the conspiracy” of the Israeli government.
As of last week, Israel had not committed to not targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, CNN reported.
Israel has been planning an attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities for decades, and as recently as two years ago simulated an attack on Iran in a military exercise. Israel has also been suspected of carrying out assassinations against Iranian nuclear scientists in recent years, and Iran’s nuclear facilities have likely been exposed to cyberattacks from Israel, most famously being able to penetrate Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. It is a Stuxnet virus.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday issued a strong warning about Iran’s response.
“Our attacks will be powerful, precise, and above all surprising. They will not be able to understand what happened or how it happened,” Gallant said.
The Arab diplomat said Gulf states were generally keen to remain on the sidelines of the conflict. Iran has publicly warned that political parties seen as supporting Israel will be treated as aggressors, but Iran’s neighbors could explicitly defend Tehran in the event of an Israeli attack. is considered to be low.
But Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have told both the United States and Iran that they will not allow Israel to use their airspace to attack Iran, an Arab diplomat and another person familiar with the matter said. told CNN. Jordanian officials also said that Jordan will protect its airspace from any unauthorized intrusion, regardless of its origin.
The United States believes Iran does not want to be drawn into an all-out war with Israel, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera this week that Prime Minister Netanyahu “wants war and will set the region on fire.” There is only one person who is doing so.” Stay in power. ”
But the U.S. is still urging Iran through back channels to coordinate a response in the event of an Israeli attack, the official said.
Although Qatar regularly speaks with the Iranians and conveys their views to the United States, the U.S. official said, “Ultimately we don’t know what (Iran) will do.” Key voices within Iran will have different ideas about whether and how to respond to Israel, but that will depend on the scale and scope of the much-anticipated Israeli move. another US official said.
The official said the message from Iran has been consistent both publicly and privately since Iran barraged Israel with missiles earlier this month, and there has been no major change in message.
An Arab diplomat told CNN that Iran is particularly interested in obtaining support from Saudi Arabia in using its influence with the US government to deter Israeli attacks and find a solution to the crisis. I have it.
Officials have met three times in less than a month, and Araghchi visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to “discuss regional development” and “work to stop the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon and Gaza.” said locally. media.
The world is pondering how Israel will respond and is watching its every move. But at least until sunset Saturday, Israel will stop to celebrate Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and Judaism’s holiest day of the year. And while it is not impossible that Israel will take action, stores, restaurants and other services will be closed, public transportation will not operate, and even the country’s main airport, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, will be closed. It will be closed.
CNN’s Kayla Tausche, Dania Karni and Katie Bo Lillis contributed reporting.
