US diplomacy at ‘highest level’ to protect Israel from Iran
We’re going to have President Joe Biden talking to King Abdullah of Jordan in the coming hours, just hours before he convenes the security advisers in the situation room.
There is a very real awareness now that we may not be talking about weeks or even days, an attack by Iran could be something that takes place within a matter of hours. That is why we have seen over the past few days, all of these meetings, all of these calls for de-escalation.
The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, spoke to his Israeli counterpart twice in the past few days, firstly to reiterate his country’s commitment to Israel, but also calling for the need for de-escalation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to G7 nations yesterday to urge them to do whatever they can to exert any diplomatic pressure they can on Iran to really de-escalate this.
Arab, international diplomats seek to contain possibility of regional war
International and Arab diplomats are trying to contain the possibility of a full-on regional war.
The message from Iran is that it will not be restrained, that the decision has been taken, especially since we heard from the supreme leader himself that there will be severe punishment for Israel.
Even the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah referred to Iran by saying that its dignity was harmed in this attack that led to the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
We saw the Jordanian foreign minister on a very rare visit to Tehran on Sunday. Jordan is in a very difficult position because the last time Iran directly attacked Israel, Jordan did play a role. It helped the US military intercept Iranian missiles, and Iran has warned that any country that takes part or helps the United States will be considered a target.
That’s why the Jordanians are saying they are not mediators and not delivering messages between Israel and Iran.
Now, the question is what kind of a response will Iran carry out, and what kind of response Hezbollah will carry out.
‘Punishing Israel necessary’ to prevent further instability: Iran Foreign Ministry
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani says Tehran is not looking to escalate regional tensions but it believes “punishing Israel is necessary” to prevent further instability.
Other points made by Kanaani:
- The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran is a violation of international law.
- Iran reserves its right to defend its national security and sovereignty over its lands.
- Tehran has the right to discipline Israel, deter it and stop its crimes.
Earlier, a report from the US news site Axios quoted three unnamed sources as saying US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his G7 counterparts in a conference call that Iran and Hezbollah could launch an attack against Israel as early as today.
The G7 – which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom – issued a statement expressing “deep concern over the heightened level of tension in the Middle East” and calling for restraint on all sides.
