Israel: Military Option Against Iran May Be Necessary to Stop its Nuclear Drive 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) addresses a press conference with European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas after a meeting at the EU headquarters on the sidelines of the EU's foreign affairs council, in Brussels on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) addresses a press conference with European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas after a meeting at the EU headquarters on the sidelines of the EU's foreign affairs council, in Brussels on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Israel: Military Option Against Iran May Be Necessary to Stop its Nuclear Drive 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) addresses a press conference with European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas after a meeting at the EU headquarters on the sidelines of the EU's foreign affairs council, in Brussels on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) addresses a press conference with European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas after a meeting at the EU headquarters on the sidelines of the EU's foreign affairs council, in Brussels on February 24, 2025. (AFP)

Israel is warning a “military option” could be required to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and is looking to US President Donald Trump for help in ramping up pressure on the country, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

Speaking to POLITICO in Brussels, Saar said time was running out as Iran had enriched enough uranium for a “couple of bombs” and was “playing with ways” to weaponize its enriched nuclear material — an outcome he said would have a hugely destabilizing impact on the Middle East.

“I think that in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponized, a reliable military option should be on the table,” Saar said, when asked about the possibility of strikes during the Trump presidency.

Adding to the urgency of addressing the Iran threat, Saar said, was a trend by which Iranian weapons are being smuggled to the West Bank via the border with Jordan.

“We are now confronting a huge attempt by Iran via money and weapons that are floating to what you call the West Bank,” he said, adding that the aim was to “inflame these territories.”

The warning comes amid escalating rhetoric between Iran and Israel, particularly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities with Washington’s backing.

During a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, Netanyahu claimed that Israel had already dealt a “strong blow” to Iran since the start of the Gaza war. He asserted that, with the support of US President Donald Trump, Israel had the capability to “complete the mission.”

Trump himself recently raised the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran, though he stated that he preferred negotiating a deal to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. US intelligence agencies have reportedly warned that Israel is considering major strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in the first half of this year, taking advantage of Iran’s current vulnerabilities.

Iran now faces a strategic crossroads—either engage in negotiations with Trump or risk further regional setbacks.

In Washington, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had previously reaffirmed that Iran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. He warned that an Iranian nuclear capability would pose a global threat and could enable Tehran to conduct terrorist attacks under a nuclear shield.

Earlier this month, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi warned that Iran was in the process of increasing around sevenfold its monthly production of uranium enriched to up to 60%.

He said Iran would likely have about 250 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% by the time of the agency's next report in the coming weeks.

Decisive response

Last Monday, senior Iranian military official warned that Tehran would deliver a decisive response to any Israeli threat against its interests, including warnings backed by the United States.

General Gholam Ali Rashid, head of the Armed Forces Operations Room, stated that any Israeli threat against Iran would be assessed in light of US support for Israel and would be met with firm action by Iran’s military. He emphasized that Iran would target not only the source of aggression but also the facilities and bases supporting Israel’s operations.

Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, warned that the country possesses “sufficient regional targets” for low-cost missile strikes, saying: “If we deploy 500 or 1,000 drones instead of 150, what could they possibly do?”

Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard, commander of the of Iran’s Air Defense Force, said on Tuesday that the Iranian air defense system had conducted drills on possible enemy infiltration scenarios, and successfully countered them.

“The specified goals of the drills have been achieved,” he added.

Last week, the US military conducted its second Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East for the second time in 48 hours, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

Two B-52 bombers from RAF Fairford, UK flew across Europe and six partner countries in the Middle East, which included aerial refueling and training missions at ranges.



Trump Downplays Possibility of Sending Ukraine Long-Range Weapons as It Struggles to Repel Russia

 In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, a local resident walks along the street under an anti-drone net in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, a local resident walks along the street under an anti-drone net in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
TT
20

Trump Downplays Possibility of Sending Ukraine Long-Range Weapons as It Struggles to Repel Russia

 In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, a local resident walks along the street under an anti-drone net in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, a local resident walks along the street under an anti-drone net in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as Kyiv awaits an injection of US weaponry that it hopes will help it beat back an intensifying Russian air offensive.

Trump offered a more cautious tone on what to expect after he threatened Russia a day earlier with steep tariffs if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t act within 50 days to end the three-year conflict. He also on Monday announced plans to bolster Kyiv's stockpile by selling American weapons to NATO allies who would in turn send arms to Ukraine.

Providing Ukraine with more long-range weaponry would give Kyiv the chance to strike further into Russian territory, a move that some in Ukraine and the US have said could help push Putin toward negotiations to end the fighting.

Asked if he intended to supply Ukraine with weapons that could reach deeper into Russian territory, Trump replied, "We're not looking to do that." He made the remarks to reporters before departing the White House for an energy investment event in Pittsburgh.

While Trump's threats of weapons, sanctions and tariffs mark the most substantive pressure he’s placed on Putin since returning to office nearly six months ago, some lawmakers said they remain concerned that the administration, with the 50-day deadline, is giving Putin time to grab even more Ukrainian territory.

Sens. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, said waiting 50 days before imposing sanctions on Russia would give Putin more time to gain an advantage in the war.

"The 50-day delay worries me that Putin would try to use the 50 days to win the war, or to be better positioned to negotiate a peace agreement after having murdered and potentially collected more ground," said Tillis, who recently announced he won’t run for reelection.

Tillis and Shaheen lead the Senate NATO Observer Group, which facilitates work between Congress and NATO, and met Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Capitol Hill.

Trump himself scoffed at the idea that 50 days is giving Putin too much time. The president suggested he may act more quickly if he does not see signs that Putin is taking steps toward ending the conflict.

"I don’t think 50 days is very long and it could be shorter than that," he said.

Ahead of Trump's announcement that he would impose a 100% tariff on Russia’s trading partners if Putin doesn't negotiate an end to the war, bipartisan legislation proscribing even tougher sanctions on Moscow was gaining steam in the Senate.

The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on the economies of Brazil, China and India, which account for the vast majority of Russia’s energy trade.

But Trump on Monday said "at a certain point it doesn’t matter" how high the tariff is set and that "100% is going to serve the same function." Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was putting the legislation on hold following Trump's announcement.

Trump during his campaign described the conflict as a waste of US taxpayer money and vowed to quickly end it on his first day back in office. He deflected when asked by a reporter on Tuesday if his tougher tone on Putin suggests he's now on Ukraine’s side in the bloody conflict.

"I’m on nobody’s side," Trump said, adding this concern was for "humanity."

US officials say they are still sorting through Ukraine’s wish list of weaponry to determine what can be most quickly replaced after Trump announced an agreement for Europe to supply Ukraine with defensive munitions from existing stocks.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arms transfers that have not yet been approved or completed, said Ukraine’s requests for military equipment are roughly the same as they have been since the start of Russia’s invasion. Those include air defenses like Patriot missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, long-range missiles known as ATACMS and short- to medium-range ground-to-air missiles known as NASAMs, and assorted artillery, according to the officials.

Under the terms of the very rough agreement sketched out by Trump and Rutte on Monday, NATO members would ship billions of dollars of these weapons to Ukraine and then purchase replacements for them from the United States.

One official said some of the larger items, such as Patriots, could take up to five years to produce to deliver to the European donors, while smaller munitions like 155mm artillery shells can be produced on a much shorter timeline.

Trump has lately changed his once friendly tune toward Putin, whom he has long admired and whom he sided with publicly over his national security team during his first term when asked whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.

In recent weeks, Trump has chastised Putin for continuing his brutal assault on Ukrainian cities, even noting that the Russian leader "talks nice and then he bombs everybody."

Trump has continued to blame his White House predecessors for Putin's 2022 invasion on neighboring Ukraine — a conflict he says would have never happened if he were reelected in 2020.

"He’s fooled a lot of people," Trump said Monday at the White House. "He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden. He didn’t fool me."

In February, Trump expressed confidence that Putin "will keep his word" on any deal to end the war in Ukraine. But in an interview with the BBC published Tuesday, when asked whether he trusted Putin, Trump paused before answering.

"I trust almost nobody, to be honest with you," Trump said. "I’m disappointed in him, but I’m not done with him. But I’m disappointed in him."