In a recent interview with a source familiar with the situation, CNN reported that in recent weeks, senior U.S. officials have made it clear that Israel should avoid escalating tensions or impacting the global economy in terms of both the nature of attacks and target locations.
President Biden and his top national security advisors have consistently stated that they do not support strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities or oil reserves. Although U.S. officials believe that other oil-producing nations can easily compensate for the approximately one million barrels of oil Iran produces daily, their primary concern lies with how the market would react to such strikes and the potential spike in global energy prices as American voters head to the polls for the 2024 election.
One insider shared with CNN, “The psychological impact is more substantial than the reality.” They noted that just the suggestion of an Israeli attack on Iran has already pushed market prices up by over 4%.
Following concerns from the Biden administration about the repercussions of Israeli military actions, Israeli officials reassured the U.S. that their targets in Iran would focus on military assets rather than nuclear facilities or oil infrastructure.
Since Iran launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1, Israeli leadership has vowed retaliation. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has stated, “We take U.S. advice into consideration, but we will make our final decisions based on national interests.”
On October 26, the Israeli military initiated strikes against Iran from multiple directions, targeting military bases and facilities. Reports indicate that explosions were heard near Tehran, although there have been no confirmed explosions at the military centers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the western or southwestern parts of the city. Some of the explosion sounds were attributed to intercepts by anti-air systems around Tehran against Israeli attacks. Iran has announced a closure of its airspace.
