Israel seeks US backing to weaken Iran’s regional power
By Delaram Ahmadi
Staff writer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to frame Iran as the centerpiece of the regime’s security concerns, underscoring Tehran’s recent military drills and nuclear program as he lays the groundwork for upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump. At a recent ceremony, Netanyahu stressed that Israel did not seek direct confrontation with Iran, yet said that “our eyes are open” to what he described as emerging threats from Iran. He is slated to meet Trump on December 29, with discussions expected to focus heavily on Iran’s nuclear work and its latest military exercises. These remarks may signal a renewed focus by Tel Aviv on Tehran following the 12-day war in June and could lead to heightened tensions. Iran Daily discussed the issue with Jalaleddin Salimi, a senior international affairs analyst. According to him, alongside Netanyahu’s various objectives, he is seeking US assistance to turn Iran into a weakened actor in the region.
IRAN DAILY: In the Netanyahu-Trump meeting, which Iran-related issues are most likely to take center stage, and what exactly does Netanyahu expect from Washington?
SALIMI: First, Netanyahu’s lack of awareness about Iran’s enhanced missile capabilities following the 12‑day war has left him deeply concerned, as new missiles, equipped with advanced defense technologies, pose a significant challenge for Israel’s interception systems. As a result, he has sharply focused his media and political capacity on a potential modern war with Iran to draw the United States into a new conflict scenario.
Second, Netanyahu is aware that although a cease-fire was established between Iran and Israel following the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, this in no way led Iran to slow down or suspend its weapons development. He believes Iran is moving toward building a nuclear bomb that could endanger Israel’s positions and national interests in West Asia.
Third, Israel’s military and security targets are within the range of direct Iranian strikes, and as long as Israel feels threatened, these targets will undoubtedly remain under intense monitoring by its own intelligence and security agencies.
Fourth, Israel is making efforts to expand US and United Nations economic sanctions daily to psychologically signal to the Iranian public that the Islamic Republic system is no longer effective and that regime change should occur.
Fifth, Israel aims to portray what it calls Iran’s true face as an ideological state, thereby further intensifying Iranophobia at international level.
Sixth, as a regime seeking to close the Gaza file and sever Iran’s links with it, Netanyahu ultimately wants Trump to make a swift decision that would leave Iran as a fully weakened power in the Middle East, enabling the White House to pursue and operationalize the policies it has in mind.
Given Trump’s stated approach of avoiding war, how do you assess the likelihood that he would support Israeli military action against Iran?
Trump’s approach is neither predictable nor easy to anticipate. The behavior and performance of the US president can change from moment to moment to keep opposing parties in the dark about the techniques and tactics he intends to employ against Iran. When Trump says that American pilots trained for 22 years to strike nuclear sites, it should be understood that his policymaking is never identical in different cases, making it difficult to clearly determine the likelihood of joint US-Israeli military action.
From a psychological perspective, Trump is generally more inclined toward achieving quick results and assessing a potential war with Iran in terms of minimal costs, so that at the international level he can present himself as a problem-solver.
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