Israel: Attacks on Iran at Strategic Crossroads
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir says the Israeli-American attacks on Iran are approaching a strategic crossroads and vows to escalate them, AFP reports.
"We will continue to act decisively and intensify the damage to the regime," he said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Israel announced that it had bombed eight bridges in Iran, which it claims have been used to transport military personnel and equipment, writes the Wall Street Journal.
Eyal Zamir's statement comes a few hours before the deadline set by Donald Trump at 02:00 Swedish time expires.
Trump has threatened to blow up all the bridges and power plants in the country if Iran does not accept an American
Analysis: Donald Trump has painted himself into a corner
Donald Trump has painted himself into a corner with his latest threat that "an entire civilization will die tonight". This is according to Sky News military analyst Michael Clarke.
He believes that there is a possibility that Trump will back down from the threat, but that history does not support it. He points out that the US often tends to escalate once it has mobilized militarily. One example is when the US gathered a large military force for the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but also Tuesday's attack on, among other things, railways and the oil island of Kharg in Iran.
- They tend to press the start button rather than the stop button, he says.
The BBC's Daniel Bush is on the same track.
"He must now decide whether to follow through on his threats and escalate the war or back down and undermine his credibility," Bush writes.
He also wonders if Trump cares about the laws of war, given that he has threatened to target civilian infrastructure, not just military targets.
proposals for a ceasefire, and on Tuesday he wrote that "an entire civilization will die tonight."
Iran expert: “Extremely sensitive situation”
Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi.
Bridges, railways and the important oil island of Kharg have been bombed in a new wave of attacks on Iran – hours before the US deadline.
The attacks can be seen as a way to pressure the Iranian regime, according to experts.
– We are in an extremely sensitive situation right now, says Iran expert Alexander Atarodi.
On Monday, Donald Trump gave Iran a deadline of 02:00 on Wednesday night, Swedish time. If the regime has not opened the Strait of Hormuz by then, “we will blow up the whole country”, was the threat from the US president.
Now, hours before the US deadline, several military and civilian targets have exploded around Iran, including on the oil island of Kharg that Trump has threatened to “destroy”. An American source confirms to Axios that the US is behind the attacks.
The reason for Tuesday’s escalation is that the White House wants to get Iran to approve an agreement that the US can accept, according to Jan Hallenberg, a security policy expert at the Swedish Institute for Foreign Policy.
– They want to increase the pressure on Iran to bend. They will get a taste of what will happen later, he says.
Tactical press
– We don’t know if this is the start of destroying everything. It could be tactical pressure on the Iranian regime to accept some kind of deal, he says.
Kharg has been bombed before by the US, he notes. Then it was military targets that were attacked and not the oil facilities. That is the case this time too, military sources tell Axios.
– In any case, it is obvious that we are in an extremely sensitive situation right now. It seems very likely that both sides have positions that are very far apart, says Alexander Atarodi.
Does not rule out an agreement
– If this war becomes even more extensive than it is today, and it is difficult to see that it can be, the price of oil could be 150-200 dollars. There is also a risk that the Gulf countries can no longer just watch.
Despite the escalation and the many threats, some kind of deal before the deadline is not out of the question, Alexander Atarodi emphasizes. The parties have each delivered a draft to each other, which is a far cry from the situation just a few weeks ago when talks were not even on the table.
– Now, with the help of the mediators, we have a draft of something. Even if it does not cover everyone's needs, there is still a chance for a deal, says Alexander Atarodi.
