Israel, US Say to Target Iran Energy Facilities If Ceasefire Breaks

(MENAFN) Israel and its close ally the US are actively preparing for a potential breakdown of the fragile ceasefire with Iran, with energy infrastructure emerging as a likely target in any resumed hostilities, local media reported Sunday.

"There is close coordination between the two sides, and if fighting resumes, the targets will also include Iranian energy facilities," the Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted a senior unnamed Israeli military official as saying.

Diplomatic prospects appear equally dim. "Iran insists on its previous position regarding its right to uranium enrichment, and there is no optimism among mediators" in talks between Washington and Tehran, Maariv reported.

The backdrop to these developments is a war that erupted on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran, killing more than 3,300 people. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes on Israel and several regional countries hosting US military assets.

Hostilities were suspended on April 8 under a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Washington and Tehran subsequently held rare direct negotiations in Pakistan last weekend, though the talks concluded without a breakthrough. Mediators are now working to convene a fresh round of discussions in Islamabad.

Adding to the pessimism, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stated Sunday that deep divisions between Tehran and Washington persist, even as he acknowledged some progress in ongoing negotiations.

MENAFN19042026000045017169ID1111001637