The Biden administration warned Iran in recent days against launching another attack on Israel and stressed it won’t be able to restrain the Israelis, according to a U.S. official and a former Israeli official briefed on the issue.
Why it matters: After Iran attacked Israel on Oct. 1, in response to a string of Israeli assassinations, Israel responded by hitting military targets but not nuclear or oil production facilities.
Behind the scenes: “We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one,” a U.S. official said.
- The U.S. official said the message was conveyed directly to the Iranians — notable because such direct contacts are rarely disclosed. The Israeli official said a messaged was passed from Washington to Tehran through the Swiss.
- The White House declined to comment. The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately offer comment.
State of play: Iran has vowed to respond, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said at event with students on Saturday that the U.S. and Israel “will definitely receive a crushing response.”
- Esmail Kowsari, a member of the national security committee in Iran’s parliament, said Saturday that Iran’s security council had agreed on a response but not yet on the exact date and scope.
- Kowsari said the attack will be executed in coordination with other “resistance” groups in the region and will be stronger than Iran’s Oct. 1 attack, which involved 180 ballistic missiles.
What they’re saying: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday that the administration had “been very clear that Iran should not respond” and that “we will continue to support Israel” if they do.
