Israel assures US it will not strike Iran’s nuclear or oil sites, officials say

The Biden administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not hit Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back following Iran’s missile barrage earlier this month, two US officials said on Tuesday.

The administration also believes that sending a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it has eased some of Israel’s concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and general security issues.

The Pentagon on Sunday announced the THAAD deployment to help bolster Israel’s air defences following Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel in April and October, saying it was authorised at the direction of President Joe Biden.

However, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions, cautioned that the assurance is not iron-clad and that circumstances could change.

The officials also noted that Israel’s track record on fulfilling assurances in the past is mixed and has often reflected domestic Israeli politics that have upended Washington’s expectations.

The most recent example of that was last month when US officials were told by their Israeli counterparts that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would welcome a US- and French-led temporary ceasefire initiative for Lebanon only to see Israel launch a massive airstrike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah two days later.

Mr Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that “we listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests”.

The Middle East has been bracing for an expected response from Israel after Iran launched roughly 180 ballistic missiles on October 1, which the United States helped to fend off.

The tit-for-tat strikes and uncertainty about whether Israel might strike strategically important energy and nuclear sites in Iran have raised fears about escalation into an all-out regional war.

Israel’s offensive against Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza has expanded into a ground invasion of Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy that has been firing into Israel since the conflict in Gaza started a year ago in solidarity with Hamas.

Mr Biden has said he would not support a retaliatory Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme and urged Israel to consider alternatives to hitting Iran’s oil sector.

Such a strike could affect the global oil market and boost pump prices just ahead of the US presidential election.

Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu spoke by phone last week for the first time for seven weeks, while US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been speaking regularly to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant.

The Pentagon said in a readout of a call from Sunday that the US has reaffirmed its support for Israel’s security but urged it to ensure protections for UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, shift from military operations to a diplomatic solution and “raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it”.

The White House National Security Council declined to confirm that Mr Netanyahu offered Mr Biden any assurances about targets.

“Our commitment to Israel’s defence is ironclad,” the White House National Security Council said in a statement.

“We will not discuss private diplomatic discussions and would refer you to the Israeli government to speak to their own potential military operations.”

Meanwhile, the US State Department dismissed remarks by Iran’s foreign minister who said Tehran shut down an indirect communication route between the two countries in Oman.

Responding to a query from The Associated Press, the State Department said on Tuesday: “We have direct and open lines of communication with Iran when it is in our interest.

“There is no misunderstanding in our position. Thus, there is no need at the current time for indirect talks in Oman or anywhere else.”

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state media in Muscat, Oman, that Iran has stopped indirect talks with the US there.