FWD: Press leaks are weapons in the war of nerves against Iran

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Cornelius Hamelberg

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Jun 12, 2025, 10:01:38 PM6/12/25

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Nathan Shachar: Press leaks are weapons in the war of nerves against Iran

Published yesterday 17:29

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Ronen Zvulun/AP

The US warns Israel against bombing Iran without the go-ahead, and Israel responds that it decides when to strike. But what looks like a serious disagreement between the countries is likely a charade to scare Iran.

This is a commentary text. The writer is responsible for the analysis and positions in the text.

Text

Nathan Shachar

We have seen a flood of such dramatic news lately, mainly in the US media. The impression is that the US and Israel are on the verge of coming together on this issue. But is this news genuine or is it part of a joint operation in which the US and Israel are jointly waging war of nerves against Iran?

The other day, Trump asserted that he wants to avoid war at all costs during negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. But, he admitted, if peaceful methods do not bear fruit, “terrible things” could happen. Trump, in the same breath, wants peace and threatens war.

So far, the tactic has been effective. Iran has accepted what it has refused to even discuss for years: enrichment of uranium to 3.67 percent and unrestricted access for the UN Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to all facilities. Iran has also agreed to give up its reserves of highly enriched uranium.

US President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Ken Cedeno/TT

Netanyahu is appealing to Trump not to settle for that. He wants the US to demand that Iran give up its centrifuges, where the content of the fissile uranium isotope U-235 is processed. And he barely hides that he hopes that Trump will give up on his negotiations with Iran.

Netanyahu has for years exploited the Iranian threat in his domestic policy. In 2015, when a right-wing party threatened to leave his coalition, he persuaded it to stay, as action against Iran was imminent. In April of this year, he averted a similar government crisis, when the Orthodox parties were informed of a likely action against Iran.

Iran's Russian air defences were partially or completely destroyed during two Israeli attacks last year. Iran has been pleading with Russia to repair the systems, but so far to no avail. An Israeli attack is now far less risky than it used to be. But it would immediately trigger an Iranian missile attack on Israel, of unknown magnitude. Israeli military experts believe that an attack on Iran must be coordinated with the United States, partly to damage Iran's nuclear facilities so badly that the regime backs down and makes concessions to Trump, and partly to shoot down Iran's ballistic missiles before they strike.

Netanyahu, who is already making his calculations for next year's elections, is eager to show off a grand and shiny achievement that will overshadow the memory of the military fiasco of October 2023 and Israel's increasing isolation today. Netanyahu's opponents in Israel are therefore keeping their fingers crossed that Trump and Iran will come to an agreement peacefully.

IAEA: Iran has increased production of highly enriched uranium

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