Israel may strike Iran without US backing: US media reports
US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
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Israel is considering launching a military strike against Iran in the coming days — even without support from the United States amid faltering diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear programme, according to multiple US media reports.
Sources told NBC News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has become increasingly serious about acting unilaterally as negotiations between Washington and Tehran move towards a preliminary deal that includes provisions allowing Iran to enrich uranium.
According to Sky News' US partner network NBC, a Capitol Hill aide and other sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Israel is weighing military options independent of Washington's support.
Read: Iran warns West, Israel over IAEA pressure ahead of new nuclear talks
It comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, has formally concluded for the first time in nearly two decades that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations. Tehran has denied the claim, insisting it has remained within its safeguarding commitments.
Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday warned that Tehran would target US military bases across the region if a conflict breaks out between the two countries.
His statement followed testimony from General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), who told Congress on Tuesday that he had presented President Trump with a 'range of options' to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
In response to the escalating tension, the United States has ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad. A similar option has been extended to staff and dependents at US missions in Bahrain and Kuwait.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the move on Wednesday evening, saying: 'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens'.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the decision was taken 'as a result of a recent review,' but made no reference to any planned Israeli strike.
Despite the evacuation, an Iraqi government source told the state news agency that Baghdad has not observed any security indicators warranting such a move. The US embassy in Baghdad is already operating with limited staffing.
The Trump administration remains engaged in efforts to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran. According to Axios, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Oman, this weekend to discuss Tehran's response to a recent US proposal.
Read More: Iran says US travel ban 'violates international law'
Talks between the US and Iran aim to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for partial relief from American sanctions. Iran insists its programme is peaceful and within international legal bounds.
President Trump, however, expressed doubt about the prospects of reaching a deal. In an interview with the New York Post's 'Pod Force One' podcast, he said he was 'getting more and more less confident' in the negotiations.
'They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame,' Trump said. 'Something happened to them.'
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'So the operative word is pre-emptive.' 'What?' 'It's a good word. It justifies taking an action that does not have merit at the time it is taken.' 'Well, I take asthma medicine to pre-empt an attack. Why are you laughing?' 'In the Land of the Pure, we don't have the option of preemption.' 'Yes you do, you can pre-empt load shedding by getting a UPS and if you have more cash a generator.' 'And the preemption may not work if load shedding is for more hours than can be accommodated by most UPS's and running a generator is not cheap. A better preemption would be getting solar panels…' 'No more, net metering is…' 'OK wrong example. Anyway Israel attacked Iran and claimed preemptive action.' 'Wait, let me give you another example. India tried to take preemptive action against Pakistan….' 'Not true. We in the Subcontinent don't take preemptive actions. India claimed it was taking retaliatory action after accusing Pakistan without any proof of masterminding the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 24 tourists on 21 May.' 'And we retaliated against their how can I say this, unprovoked and unsubstantiated retaliation.' 'Right and we in the Sub-Continent always retaliate never pre-empt even if the retaliation is not substantiated by proof. Now, if India had launched an attack against us before the Pahalgam incident…' 'That would have been stupid.' 'Well, there is a difference – India and Pakistan are nuclear powers with formidable air power and defence systems. No one other than Israel has the air power to carry out mass killing in the neighbourhood– Hamas doesn't, Mehmud Abbas doesn't in the West Bank with Israeli settlers taking over land, Hezbollah doesn't, Syria doesn't…' 'Houthis…' 'Indeed.' 'So we in the subcontinent say tomato the English way and the Israelis say it the American way - tomaito.' 'So we have to convince the world to cite potato?' 'Sorry?' 'Isn't potato pronounced the same way in all English speaking countries?' 'Don't know, don't care, as neither Israel nor Iran are English speaking countries. And I bet you if you are an Israeli you would pronounce potato with a harsh t while an Iranian would use the soft t.' 'Retaliation or preemption doesn't matter, my friend – people die, the arms industry makes cash and….' 'That's the way the cookie is crumbling in our increasingly imperfect world today.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
