Israel on Sunday said it could launch military strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program, expressing deep skepticism regarding the viability of any potential nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen considered a possible agreement between the US and Iran to be worthless - and a further military confrontation with Iran to be possible.
His comments came as representatives of the US government and Iran began talks in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday. A date for a possible continuation has not yet been set.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing talks with Iran with US President Donald Trump.
“An agreement with the current regime has no value,” said Cohen, the Israeli news portal ynet reported on Sunday. “Regime change in Tehran is in the interest of all Muslim states surrounding Iran.”
“Even in the event of an agreement, if a threat against Israel develops and we are forced to act, we will act,” Cohen emphasized.
Also on Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said: “The Iranian regime spreads terror beyond the Middle East, including to Latin America and we commend Paraguay's designation of the IRGC as a terror organization.”
During a meeting with Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, Sa’ar said Iran’s long-range ballistic missile program poses a threat not only to Israel but also to Europe.
Israel is demanding that any agreement between the US and Iran must also include a limit on ballistic missiles and an end to support for Iran's allies in the region.
On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli defense officials recently told their US counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program represents an existential threat, and that Jerusalem is prepared to act unilaterally if necessary.
According to security sources, Israeli intentions to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and production infrastructure were conveyed in recent weeks through a series of high-level exchanges. Military officials outlined operational concepts to degrade the program, including strikes on key manufacturing sites.
“We told the Americans we will strike alone if Iran crosses the red line we set on ballistic missiles,” the source said, adding that Israel is not yet at that threshold but is continuously tracking developments inside Iran.
The officials stressed that Israel reserves freedom of action and emphasized that it will not allow Iran to restore strategic weapon systems on a scale that threatens Israel’s existence.
One defense official described the current moment as a “historic opportunity” to deliver a significant blow to Iran’s missile infrastructure and neutralize active threats to Israel and neighboring states.
During recent talks, Israel also presented plans to target additional facilities connected to the missile program, according to the official.
The newspaper said concerns were raised by several officials that Trump may adopt a limited strike model - similar to recent US operations against the Houthis in Yemen - which, they fear, could leave Iran’s critical capabilities intact.
“The worry is he might choose a few targets, declare success, and leave Israel to deal with the fallout, just like with the Houthis,” another military official said, adding that partial measures won’t eliminate the core threat.
