US President Donald Trump may have reiterated his threat to strike Iran for attempting to repress the unrest, but reports claim Israel and Arab nations have suggested to the Trump administration that it wait before striking Tehran. This comes amid reports that talks have begun to explore options on how to carry out an attack on Iran, including non-military options.
However, Israeli and Arab officials think time is not yet ripe, according to a report by NBC News quoting unnamed sources, which added that they believe the regime may not yet be weakened to the point where US military strikes would be the decisive blow that topples it.
The Arabs and Israelis believe Trump should wait until the regime is even more strained, stating that the situation in Iran is rapidly developing and the stability of the regime could change quickly in one direction or the other.
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Trump on Tuesday issued a fresh warning to Iran’s leadership over its violent crackdown on protests that have swept the country over the past two weeks. He said Washington would review reports of killings and alleged executions linked to the unrest.
Multiple reports suggested that Arab states have been specifically warning the Trump administration not to strike Iran now, as it would have a detrimental effect on the global oil market. Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar informed the White House that even attempting to overthrow the current Iranian regime would destabilize the global oil market and ultimately hurt the American economy, according to the Wall Street Journal.
None of the rival Gulf states has addressed the protests that have spread across Iran since late December.
Meanwhile, Israel seems to have adopted the “wait and watch” policy despite the perspective of the country being regime change.
"[Israel] does see the combination of this last operation in June, plus the economic hardships in Iran and now these protests as successful, meaning maximum pressure, military pressure, it works," Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst for Israel at the International Crisis Group, told KPBS. She added that a military strike was not going to just get rid of the regime.
"And that even if you do take out [Iran's supreme leader Ali] Khamenei in a Venezuelan model of some kind, what replaces that? It could be worse. It could be chaotic," Zonszein added.