The IDF has coordinated several possible scenarios with the U.S. military amid the escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran, including one in which the United States intensifies its response and Israel joins renewed strikes against Iran, a senior Israeli security official told Walla military correspondent Amir Bohbot.
According to the official, an internal struggle between two camps within Iran’s leadership is delaying negotiations and making it difficult for Tehran to decide on a framework with the United States.
The more “pragmatic” camp includes Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, both of whom Israeli intelligence officials view as “rational” figures who “want an agreement and understand the difficult situation they are in.”
Opposing them is a “fanatical and religious” camp that has further hardened its position, led by Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi.
The senior official described the two as “patient chess players” who believe President Donald Trump does not want to return to fighting, particularly before the U.S. midterm elections in November. Israel’s security establishment has reached a similar assessment.
However, the official cautioned that Trump could still change his approach toward the Iranian regime amid increasingly extreme statements by senior Iranian officials, including threats of “blood revenge.”
The IDF is therefore maintaining a high level of defensive readiness for a range of possible Iranian responses while coordinating closely with the U.S. military. That coordination, particularly with CENTCOM, includes preparations for a scenario in which Washington escalates its military response and Israel joins the attacks.
Israeli defense officials assess that Iran is deliberately increasing friction with the U.S. military in an effort to “buy time” without making a decision on its nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran views as both a strategic asset and an economic and military lever.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
