US President Donald Trump warns Israeli strike on Iran could happen

An Israeli strike on Iran “could very well happen”, US President Donald Trump says, and a senior Israeli official has told the Wall Street Journal it could occur within days unless Iran agrees to halt production of material for an atomic bomb.

The report put in stark relief that a strike by Israel on its longtime foe Iran could happen as soon as Sunday, as Israel tries to block Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

This has raised fears that such a move could spark a regional war and retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Mr Trump on Thursday reiterated his hopes for a peaceful end to the tensions, writing on his Truth Social platform: “We remain committed to a diplomatic resolution to the Iran nuclear issue!

“My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a great country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

Tensions have been building in the region as Mr Trump’s efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked.

US intelligence has indicated that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

US and Iranian officials are scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s escalating uranium enrichment program in Oman on Sunday.

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Thursday declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, and Tehran announced countermeasures.

A senior Iranian official said a “friendly country” had warned it of a potential Israeli attack.

Security concerns have risen since Mr Trump said on Wednesday that American personnel were being moved out of the region because “it could be a dangerous place” and that Tehran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

Washington was concerned that Israel could take military action against Iran in the coming days, US officials said, despite Mr Trump’s recent warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against such a strike while US diplomacy continues with Tehran.

Mr Netanyahu raised the possibility of strikes in a phone conversation with Trump on Monday, the Journal reported, citing two US officials.

“I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” Mr Trump told reporters at a White House event earlier on Thursday, adding Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

“I’d love to avoid the conflict,” he said. “Iran’s going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher, meaning they’re going to have to give us something they’re not willing to give us right now.”

Security in the Middle East has already been destabilised by spillover effects of the Gaza war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Mr Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if the nuclear talks do not yield a deal and said he had become less confident Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium.

The Islamic Republic wants a lifting of US sanctions imposed on it since 2018.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that even if the country’s nuclear facilities were destroyed by bombs they would be rebuilt, state media reported.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the UN Security Council.

The step follows a series of stand-offs between the IAEA and Iran since Mr Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in 2018 during his first term, after which that accord unravelled.