Security officials believe the country must prepare contingency planning for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities following the Islamic Republic’s election of a new president.
Ebrahim Raisi — an ultra-conservative and former prosecutor who has sentenced thousands of people to be executed — is likely to adopt Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s hardline views on foreign and nuclear policy.
Raisi backs a return to the 2015 deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, a scenario which Israeli decision-makers assess won’t occur before August when Raisi takes office, Channel 12 reported.
Between now and then, Iran will likely continue building up its stockpile of enriched uranium.
“There will be no choice but to go back and prepare attack plans for Iran’s nuclear program. This will require budgets and the reallocation of resources,” an unnamed senior Israeli source was quoted as saying.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel and the United States are cooperating to increase the monitoring of Tehran’s nuclear program, adding that “all options are on the table” regarding Israel’s willingness to conduct military operations to achieve its objectives, The Times of Israel reported.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visited Washington DC to discuss Israeli security concerns, chief among them Iran’s nuclear program.