U.S. and Israeli tactics and timelines diverge
The Trump administration asked Israel on Monday not to carry out further strikes on energy facilities in Iran, particularly oil infrastructure, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The U.S. request marks the first time the Trump administration has reined in Israel since the two countries launched their joint operation against Iran ten days ago.
- The Israeli strikes blanketed Tehran — a city of 10 million — in toxic black smoke and acid rain, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.
Driving the news: The U.S. messages were conveyed at a senior political level and to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, an Israeli official said.
- A second Israeli official said “the U.S. asked that we notify them in advance of any future strikes on oil facilities in Iran.”
The Trump administration cited three reasons for its request, according to a source with knowledge of the matter:
- Such strikes harm the Iranian public, a large portion of which opposes the regime.
- Trump aims to cooperate with Iran’s oil sector after the war — similar to the approach he has taken with Venezuela.
- The strikes could trigger massive Iranian retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across Gulf states.
President Isaac Herzog does not offer a timetable on when the war with Iran could end, telling Germany’s Bild newspaper: “We need to take a deep breath and get to the end result.”
Herzog said the US and Israeli attacks on Iran are changing the whole configuration of the Middle East. He defends strikes on Iranian oil sites as a way of taking away money from Tehran’s “war machine.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar earlier said Israel is not planning for an endless war and is consulting with Washington about when to stop it.