U.S. Media: If U.S.-Iran Negotiations Fail, Trump Supports Israeli Airstrikes on Iran's Ballistic Missile Facilities

On February 15, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Xu Jianmei and Huang Qiang) that U.S. media reported on the 15th that President Trump had told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that if the U.S. could not reach an agreement with Iran, he would support Israeli airstrikes on Iranian ballistic missile facilities.

According to a report by CBS News citing two informed sources, Trump made this promise during a meeting with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last December. Two other U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter said that senior U.S. military and intelligence officials have begun discussing the possibility of supporting Israeli airstrikes, focusing not on whether Israel would act, but on how the U.S. could assist the Israeli military in the airstrikes, including providing aerial refueling for Israeli aircraft and ensuring that relevant countries agree to allow U.S. and Israeli military aircraft to fly over their airspace.

The report stated that it is unclear which countries might agree to allow the U.S. to use their airspace for refueling Israeli aircraft. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have publicly stated that they will not allow their airspace to be used for any attacks on Iran, nor will they allow their airspace to be used for Iran to launch attacks on other countries.

Regarding U.S.-Iran negotiations, the White House is focusing on Iran's nuclear program, while Israel is concerned about Iran's rapid restoration of ballistic missile production and launch facilities since last year, believing that Iranian missiles "pose a more urgent threat." Some Middle Eastern analysts point out that in addition to having medium-range missiles capable of striking any location in Israel, Iran also possesses a large number of short-range missiles that can target U.S. military bases in the Middle East. The Iranian government is currently more reliant on missiles as the "only means of defense."

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated during a visit to Slovakia on the 15th that he prefers to resolve issues between the U.S. and Iran through diplomatic means and confirmed that President Trump's special envoy, Hook, and son-in-law Kushner will represent the U.S. in the second round of indirect negotiations on nuclear issues with Iran, scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 17th. U.S. media reported that Iranian media on the 15th stated that Iran hopes to reach a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that would bring economic benefits to both sides, and the negotiations may involve joint oil fields, mining investments, and more. (End)