Israel is applying pressure, Iran is preparing... and diplomacy continues to avoid war

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

Amid reports and information about Israel and America preparing for a new round of war against Iran, Tehran is also preparing for such a possibility, threatening a broad response.

While the mediators are racing against time to revive talks between the American and Iranian sides, amid fears of renewed hostilities with the United States sending another aircraft carrier to the region, and Israel warning that it has prepared plans to launch possible new strikes.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an article published yesterday in the Financial Times that his country is “ready to give diplomacy another chance if it sees strong evidence of a sincere American desire to build confidence and reach a just solution.”

But he warned, "If the United States chooses war instead of diplomacy, this will undoubtedly lead to greater strategic failure."

For his part, US President Donald Trump, who previously said that his country would not attack Iran before the midterm elections scheduled for November 3, adopted a hard-line tone, as he threatened last Sunday via social media that unless Iran quickly changes its behavior, the United States and Israel “will finish the mission soon.”

He also repeated the hint last evening about the possibility of adopting the military option after the congressional elections.

At the same time, officials familiar with military planning explained that the US Army had prepared a set of options to strike Iran.

They also indicated that a third aircraft carrier is heading from the Pacific Ocean to the region to join two attack groups currently present in the Middle East. The officials added that the United States will also send another amphibious assault ship carrying Marine forces, and has also moved some of its forces away from vulnerable bases in the region.

In addition, a person familiar with the plans said that the Israeli army prepared earlier this month a bombing campaign that would last several days targeting civilian and nuclear sites and targets belonging to the Iranian regime. According to the same source, the operation was not carried out after Trump publicly opposed resuming the war before the upcoming congressional elections.

A person familiar with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's thinking said that the Israeli Prime Minister continues to press to resume strikes against Iran. The Israeli army is constantly updating its target bank amid fears that Iran is making rapid progress in rebuilding its infrastructure and missile and drone capabilities.

The source also added that Israel presented US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with proposed targets for strikes based on new intelligence information during a meeting held on Monday at an Israeli air base.

For her part, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly confirmed that the United States “will not attack Iran at any time before the midterm elections.” As for Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US Central Command responsible for the Middle East, he said that the army moves its military assets on a regular basis and does not discuss its movements for reasons related to operational security.

On the other hand, regional officials stressed that they are dealing seriously with the risk of escalation in light of Trump’s threats and Iran’s refusal to yield to American demands.

Two days ago, Pakistani Army Commander Asim Munir went to Tehran, and then a delegation of Qatari diplomats also visited Iran, in an attempt to break the stalemate.

Some mediators said they had put forward proposals that included releasing part of Iranian funds frozen abroad along with interest in exchange for nuclear concessions, such as allowing the return of international inspectors.

Other ideas also included transferring Iran's stock of enriched uranium to Russia.

The mediators added that Iranian diplomats initially expressed openness to the return of international inspectors, but hardliners inside Iran rejected the idea. Iranian officials were also dismayed by being told that they must engage in a serious round of negotiations to avoid the resumption of American attacks.

In addition, the mediators pointed out that Tehran confirmed that any new round of escalation would be costly

It is noteworthy that there are currently about 20 American warships in the region. The upcoming aircraft carrier strike group and the new Marine contingent are expected to increase the number to more than 24 ships if no other ships leave the area, which will significantly increase the US Navy's ability to conduct sustained operations and give Trump additional options for amphibious landings or other missions.

Trump had previously publicly raised the idea of ​​attacking the Iranian “Ax Mountain” nuclear site, and had previously ordered strikes on Iranian targets near the strait to limit Tehran’s ability to attack commercial ships.