- Blinken emphasizes US not involved in Iran-Israel tensions
- Iran downplays retaliation after Israel’s missile strike
- G7 threatens sanctions against Iran over Israel attack
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken maintains that the United States was not “involved in any offensive operations” and emphasizes that de-escalation and preventing a wider Middle East conflict are the primary concerns. Blinken has refused to be drawn on the incident on multiple occasions.
Iran has stated that it has no intention of retaliating against Israel for its unprecedented missile and drone assault on the country, downplaying the possibility of an attack.
Reportedly, three drones were intercepted by air defenses launched by troops from a significant military airbase and a nuclear site in the vicinity of the central city of Isfahan.
No reports of casualties or damage were received.
Although Israel has refrained from providing a statement on the matter, an American source with knowledge of the situation informed NBC News that it was responsible for the strike.
The United States notified a G7 ministerial meeting on Friday that Israel “informed us at the last minute” regarding the attack, which occurred on the birthday of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.
Iran, meanwhile, has stated that it has no intention of responding and has attempted to minimize the operation.
Significantly, a senior official expressed that the nation regarded the incident as an “infiltration” rather than an “external assault.”
President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran had previously issued a threat that any hostile action would be met with a “severe response” from Tehran.
The attack’s restricted magnitude and Iran’s subdued reaction indicated that hasty diplomatic endeavors to prevent a full-scale conflict between the longstanding adversaries had been fruitful.
Fears of a more protracted conflict in the Middle East had been ignited following Iran’s assault over the weekend, which Israel and its allies largely thwarted.
This occurred after an Israeli-claimed airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, the capital of Syria, resulted in the deaths of several Iranian officers, including a major general.
Increased tensions have emerged against the backdrop of Israel’s protracted conflict with Hamas in Gaza, which is sponsored by Iran and was initiated after the militant organization’s lethal incursion on October 7.
Other nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, had been imploring Israel to refrain from actions that could escalate hostilities.
During his address at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on the island of Capri in southern Italy, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken consistently declined to comment on the attack on Iran.
Except for stating that the United States has not conducted any offensive operations, he declined to elaborate.
Mr. Blinken continued, “All I can say is that de-escalation and preventing a more protracted conflict have been our primary concerns, as have been those of the G7 as a whole.”
As an indication of the pressure within Israel’s conservative government for a more stringent reaction, the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, tweeted a single word following Friday’s strike: “Feeble.”
On Friday’s incident, Iran-based news reports neglected to mention Israel, and state television commentators expressed skepticism regarding the magnitude of the assault.
Since its acquisition before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft has been stationed at the airbase in Isfahan.
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Additionally, the largest nuclear research facility in the nation is located in Isfahan.
The West believes that despite Tehran’s assertions that its nuclear work is benign, the regime is attempting to develop a weapon.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear overseer of the United Nations, stated that the nuclear facility sustained no damage but that it was “extremely closely monitoring the situation” and urged “extreme restraint.”
Iran restricted airspace in the western region and suspended its airports in Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan for several hours following the attack.
Concurrently, Israeli aircraft intercepted a Syrian military radar in the southern region.
In the meantime, foreign ministers from the G7 have issued a threat of additional sanctions against Iran in retaliation for its attack on Israel.
