Will Trump Achieve Netanyahu’s Goals in Iran?

Donald Trump’s unprovoked war against Iran marked a shift in US foreign policy: from the principle of “America First” to “Israel First.” What will be the consequences of the second American-Israeli war against Iran?

Israel Initiates a New Phase of the Conflict with Iran

The feature that distinguished this second US-Israeli military campaign from the previous one was the preliminary intensification of anti-government protests in Iran. The aim was to provoke crackdowns from Tehran in order to subsequently accuse it of brutally suppressing demonstrators and demand the overthrow of the theocratic regime.

The US demands on Tehran, coordinated with Israel in advance, were unacceptable for the sovereign Iranian state. Despite this, Tehran, aware of the futility of diplomacy with Washington, nonetheless agreed to negotiations with the American side to demonstrate to the international community its commitment to peace and its willingness to make reasonable compromises.

Iranian authorities publicly denied any intention to develop nuclear weapons, with reference to the relevant fatwa from their Supreme Leader, which declares such developments incompatible with the values of Islam. However, as Tehran showed readiness for compromise, Washington, under pressure from Tel Aviv, hardened its demands, insisting on dismantling the missile programme and on regime change.

On the morning of 28 February, Iran was subjected to massive airstrikes by the Israeli and US Air Forces, which starkly demonstrated the aggressive nature of the American-Israeli alliance. There are grounds to believe that President Trump made this decision under pressure from the Israeli side and its influential diaspora in the United States. Some experts even link the leak of information regarding the scandalous case of the late financier Epstein to an operation of “Mossad” aimed at coercing the US authorities into attacking Iran.

The nature of the military actions by the American-Israeli coalition against Iran indicates a high degree of coordination between the military departments and foreign intelligence agencies of the two countries. The CIA and Mossad managed to obtain precise data on the whereabouts of senior political and military figures of the Islamic Republic targeted for elimination in the initial phase of the war. As a result, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali........

© New Eastern Outlook