US: Preparing for 'All Possibilities'

The United States states that while preparing for 'all possibilities', it has asked other countries through its diplomatic interactions to inform the Islamic Republic that escalating tensions in the Middle East and a renewed attack on Israel are not in Iran's interest. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, referred to the current situation as a 'critical moment' for the Middle East during a press conference on Monday, August 7, adding that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working through phone calls to reduce tensions in the region. Blinken spoke on Monday with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, and Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of Egypt, about tensions in the Middle East. Miller also emphasized that the United States is preparing for all possibilities. He did not specify through which countries the US message was sent to the Islamic Republic but expressed hope that this message would impact the Iranian government. Concurrently, amid growing global concerns about the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the Jerusalem Post reported on Monday, citing Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister, that the Iranian government has decided to attack Israel. The Israeli Foreign Minister stated that Ali Bagheri Kani, head of the Foreign Ministry, conveyed the message of the attack on Israel to Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, who directly informed Katz of this decision by the Islamic Republic. Katz further stated that the world must impose costs on the Islamic Republic for any aggressive actions. The Times of Israel reported on Monday, citing two informed officials, that ceasefire-hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas have effectively been suspended until after the potential Iranian attack on Israel and the appointment of a new Hamas leader. Although the Islamic Republic insists on what it calls a 'retaliatory' attack on Israel despite international warnings, according to these two sources, there is no precise and reliable information about the timing of this attack. They also added that Hamas is likely to appoint its future leader in the coming days. According to these sources, Qatari, Egyptian, and American negotiators will resume talks for establishing a ceasefire and returning hostages after these two matters are realized. One of these sources stated that the Israeli negotiating team's visit to Egypt on Saturday focused on the deployment of Israeli army forces in the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah border crossing, and that Hamas had no indirect presence in these negotiations and no progress was made. According to him, Qatar had no representative in the negotiations on Saturday. A NOTAM warning for aircraft and the possibility of GPS disruptions were issued amid speculation about an imminent military confrontation between the Iranian government and Israel. According to this notice, referred to in aviation as a 'NOTAM', the potential for GPS disruptions across Iran was emphasized, and aircraft were advised to change their flight paths. The GPS disruptions may be intended to complicate targeting by guided missiles. In this context, Lufthansa Airlines, which has temporarily suspended its flights to Iran, announced that it will avoid flying over Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing 'informed sources', that the Iranian government told some diplomats from Arab countries on Saturday that it does not care if its response to the deadly attack on Ismail Haniyeh leads to a regional war. The public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed in a statement on Saturday that Israel designed and executed the operation that killed Haniyeh, and that the US government supported it. The IRGC threatened to respond to Haniyeh's killing at 'the appropriate time, place, and manner'. This comes as Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's killing in Tehran, and Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has also emphasized that the US was not involved in the killing of the Hamas political leader and was unaware of it. In this context, Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, spoke on Sunday night with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, amid escalating tensions over the anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attack on the country. The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli Ministry of Defense, that Gallant explained to Austin about 'security developments in the region and the Israeli army's readiness to defend Israel against potential threats from [the Iranian government] and its proxy forces'. Gallant's office announced after this nighttime call that 'he discussed a series of scenarios and relevant defensive and offensive capabilities'. According to this report, Gallant expressed his appreciation to Austin for the close military and strategic coordination between Israel and the United States, including the current and future deployment of US military capabilities and the changing status of forces to defend Israel, as well as 'the importance of US leadership in forming a coalition of allies and partners to defend Israel and the region against a wide range of air attacks'. Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, also stated that he emphasized the unwavering support of the United States for Israel's right to defend itself against threats from the Iranian government, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terrorist groups that receive support from [the Islamic Republic]. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated on Sunday during his weekly cabinet meeting that his country is in a 'multi-front war against the axis of evil Iran' and emphasized that Israel is prepared for 'any scenario, whether offensive or defensive'. John Feiner, Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House, earlier on Sunday described the increased US military presence in the Middle East as a defensive measure aimed at reducing tensions in the region. Feiner, in an interview with CBS News, pointed out that tensions in the Middle East have intensified following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, emphasizing that the US has clearly stated it will defend against any threats to Israel. Following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, and the threats from the Islamic Republic that it would respond to this action, diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the region and prevent conflict are ongoing. Among these, Jordan's Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, on Sunday made a rare visit to Iran, calling for an end to the escalation of violence in the Middle East and stating that this region must be able to live in 'peace, security, and stability'. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced early Wednesday that Ismail Haniyeh, who had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian, was targeted and killed at his residence in northern Tehran. The Islamic Republic and Hamas, a group that the US and Israel consider terrorist and is supported by the Iranian government, have identified Israel as responsible for Haniyeh's killing. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied this accusation. Opponents of the Islamic Republic have expressed significant dissatisfaction with the Iranian government's actions, which allocate substantial resources to support militia and terrorist groups in the region. Prince Reza Pahlavi on Wednesday reacted to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, calling him a 'super criminal' and stating that 'Ismail Haniyeh should never have set foot on Iranian soil' and his presence was 'an insult to our country and nation'. He also described the Islamic Republic's officials' intention for a potential attack on Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh's killing as 'Khamenei playing with fire' and stated that this war is not the people of Iran's war. Israel and the US are coordinating a regional and international coalition to repel potential attacks similar to the Iranian government's attack on April 14. The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, announced on Friday that it is deploying a squadron of fighter jets to the Middle East and maintaining an aircraft carrier in the region to strengthen the US military presence to assist in defending Israel and protecting US forces.