Trump blocked Israeli-proposed joint attack on Iran to pursue nuclear deal — report

US President Donald Trump quashed Israeli proposals for a series of joint strikes next month on Iranian nuclear facilities, opting instead to try for a diplomatic solution to the problem of Tehran’s nuclear program, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Trump’s dismissal earlier this month of Jerusalem’s plans, which Israeli officials had discussed with their US counterparts and were ready to carry out in May if they could secure US support and participation, resulted from internal divisions in the Trump administration, the report said, citing administration officials and others.

Sources briefed on the proposed attack said it aimed to set back Iran’s ability to break out to a bomb by at least a year, but months of debate among Trump’s aides on the issue resulted in a general consensus against military action, as Tehran showed signs of being open to talks, the newspaper reported...

Citing multiple officials with knowledge of Israel’s plans, the report outlined intended Israeli offensives in which the US would play an essential role by both helping to execute the attack successfully and protecting Israel against a retaliatory strike.

Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, and Mike Waltz, US national security adviser, had shown openness to the Israeli plans and discussed how the US could help, according to the report. Israeli officials “were prepared” to carry out the plans, “and at times were optimistic that the United States would sign off.”

The campaign would have started in early May and lasted more than a week, beginning with eliminating what remained of Iran’s air defense systems after Israel destroyed parts of the array during strikes in the country last year. This would pave the way for Israeli fighters to directly strike nuclear sites. Such an attack would have likely prompted Iran to launch a retaliatory missile barrage at Israel, requiring US assistance to fend it off...

“Trump and [Netanyahu] see things very differently on the issue of a military strike in Iran,” one official told Axios.

“The president kinda relished sticking it to him on Iran. The same dynamic you saw in public is what happened in private,” the official said.