Consultations for Simulating Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities

The United States and Israel are preparing themselves for the worst-case scenario against Iran. Reuters has reported that they are reviewing a military exercise to simulate an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

A senior American official told Reuters that the defense ministers of the United States and Israel will discuss a military exercise to simulate and destroy Iran’s atomic facilities during their meeting with each other on Thursday, December 10, in Washington.

This action is envisioned for a time when diplomatic efforts to curb the nuclear program reach a deadlock.

The American official told Reuters that the meeting of the two countries’ defense ministers is a continuation of reviews conducted on October 25 by officials from the U.S. Department of Defense in the presence of Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the White House, in which a range of military options available to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons were discussed.

This American official, who requested anonymity, refrained from providing further details on the matter and said: “Iran’s nuclear program has put us in a difficult situation because this program has advanced so much that it is no longer conventional.”

Reuters reported that the Israeli Embassy in Washington and Iran’s mission to the United Nations have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.

Coinciding with the Start of Vienna Talks

The meeting of U.S. and Israeli defense ministers is taking place simultaneously with the resumption of nuclear talks in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1. The U.S. Special Representative for Iran Affairs intends to join the negotiations at the end of the week.

Last week, a senior U.S. official emphasized that this country cannot accept a situation in which Iran accelerates its nuclear program while simultaneously proceeding slowly with nuclear diplomacy.

Dennis Ross, a former senior U.S. official and Middle East expert, said that such exercises by the United States and Israel can clearly send a message to Iran that the United States and Israel are serious in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.

Ross has even suggested that the United States announce its readiness to send a 30,000-pound bomb to Israel for an attack on Iran’s underground facilities.

William Burns, head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said on Monday, December 6, that the agency does not have any document indicating Iran’s decision to build nuclear weapons. He said that even if Iran had such a desire, it would have a long way to go to achieve nuclear weapons.

Source: DW