In a significant shift amid the ongoing and intensifying conflict, Iran is reportedly pleading for renewed negotiations after a series of devastating Israeli strikes severely impacted the nation’s military leadership and nuclear sites. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Iran has conveyed to Arab intermediaries its openness to negotiations with Israel and the U.S., on the crucial condition that America refrains from joining offensive strikes against the regime.
This reported diplomatic overture comes as Israel has established relatively uncontested air superiority over Tehran, following a surprise attack launched on June 12. That assault, which has now entered its fourth day, successfully eliminated numerous key officials in the Iranian military leadership and reportedly crippled vital nuclear infrastructure.
READ: U.S. Aircraft Carrier Diverted To Middle East As Israel-Iran Conflict Escalates
In stark contrast to Israel’s gains, Iranian counterattacks have inflicted comparatively little damage on Israel, with its advanced missile defense system intercepting a significant number of missiles launched at Israeli territory. Nevertheless, much of Israel’s population spent the past weekend rushing to and from bomb shelters due to the Iranian barrages, according to The Times of Israel.
The escalation has already prompted a U.S. show of force, with the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, a powerful symbol of American military might, being diverted from the South China Sea. The Nimitz, which departed Monday morning and is heading westward, according to Marine Traffic data, had its planned port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam, abruptly canceled due to an “emergent operational requirement,” as confirmed by the U.S. embassy in Hanoi. This swift redeployment underscores the heightened urgency felt by Washington as the conflict intensifies.
READ: Trump Vetoes Israeli Strike On Khamenei As Iran’s Supreme Leader Goes Into Hiding
Further raising alarm, the U.S. Air Force has reportedly begun broadcasting encrypted nuclear Emergency Action Message (EAM) codes. While the specific content remains undisclosed, the unusual length of these transmissions – significantly longer than typical EAMs – has fueled speculation of a grave shift in the global strategic landscape and heightened fears of an all-out war.
President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals regarding potential U.S. involvement in offensive operations. On Sunday, he stated to ABC News’ Rachel Scott that “it’s possible” America could jump into the war, while simultaneously stressing the U.S.’s current defensive posture. “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” the president said. Trump has also expressed his desire for Iran to return to the negotiating table in the wake of the Israeli strikes.
Just hours after President Trump’s statement, the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv sustained damage from a new series of Iranian strikes on Israeli cities overnight. Early Monday missile attacks triggered air raid sirens nationwide, with emergency services reporting at least five fatalities and numerous injuries. Powerful blasts rocked Tel Aviv just before sunrise, believed to be the result of Israel’s defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles. Thick columns of black smoke were visible rising into the sky above the coastal city.
READ: Regional Inferno: Death Toll Mounts As Israel And Iran Escalate Missile Barrage
Israeli authorities have stressed that civilians are directly in the crosshairs of these recent attacks. Police spokesman Dean Elsdunne, speaking outside a destroyed building in Petah Tikva, stated, “We clearly see that our civilians are being targeted,” adding, “And this is just one scene. We have other sites like this near the coast, in the south.”
Despite the ongoing Iranian assaults, Israel has asserted a significant advantage in the conflict. On its fourth day, Israel claims to have achieved “full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace,” a claim backed by military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin. Following concentrated offensives against Iranian air defenses and missile systems, Israeli forces announced their dominance across the skies from western Iran to Tehran, claiming the destruction of over 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers – reportedly representing a third of Iran’s arsenal used to target Israel throughout the night.
For its part, Iran confirmed firing approximately 100 missiles and has promised continued reprisals for Israel’s extensive bombardments on its military assets and nuclear establishments.
The human toll of this escalating conflict is grim. The attacks have inflicted at least 224 fatalities within Iran since last Friday. Meanwhile, Israel acknowledges 24 deaths and over 500 injuries from more than 370 missiles and an onslaught of drones launched by Iran.
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