Israel on Edge as U.S. May Resume Strikes on Iran

In Israel, preparations are underway for the possibility that Iran will try to carry out a preemptive strike if it senses an attack against it is approaching. This was reported this evening (Motzaei Shabbat) by several media outlets. Earlier today, officials at Iran’s Foreign Ministry told local media: "The U.S. must choose between diplomacy and war. We do not rule out a preemptive strike".

Overnight (between Friday and Shabbat, Israel time), in a conversation with reporters at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said the options are "a deal or to blow them to kingdom come". He also said, "Iran is asking for things I cannot agree to".

In Iran, a written message by the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, stated that "The Islamic Republic has shown the world, in its military confrontation with its rivals, part of its astonishing capabilities. Today, it must also thwart and defeat them on the battlefield of economic and cultural jihad".

A senior official in Iran’s parliament, Mehdi Rahimi, said, "As long as there is a naval blockade, there will never be negotiations on the nuclear issue". He said the negotiations are not being conducted by phone as U.S. President Trump claims, noting that "messages are conveyed via Pakistan and sometimes via Abbas Araghchi".

According to "The Wall Street Journal" the new Iranian proposal is negotiations without the prior condition of lifting the naval blockade. However, the Iranians are unwilling from the outset to compromise on opening the Strait of Hormuz and on Iran’s nuclear program. The Iranians demand a U.S. commitment to end the war at the start of negotiations.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that "U.S. military forces continue to patrol international waters and enforce the naval blockade against Iran. So far, 45 commercial ships have been directed to turn around or return to ports".

Amid the possibility of renewed fighting, President Trump sent a signed formal document to Congress and wrote that "the confrontation with Iran came to an end on April 7, with the start of the cease-fire". The president’s notice was delivered despite the increased presence of American forces in the Gulf region. It was intended to bypass the "May 1 deadline" — the 60 days since the outbreak of the war with Iran — the time during which a confrontation can be conducted without congressional approval.

Reuters reported that the reason Washington halted the fighting in Iran on April 7 was a federal law called the "War Powers Resolution". The law limits the president’s ability to continue military action beyond 60 days without the approval of Congress.