U.S. and Israel prepare for potential return to full-scale war with Iran

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U.S. and Iran signal readiness to fight again as weekend tensions mount

Events over the weekend highlight the risk of renewed war, as the United States and Israel signal they would be ready to fight Iran again.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The U.S. and Israel are preparing for the possible restart of active warfare against Iran. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv.

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: All you have to do is look up to the skies in Tel Aviv to see the readiness.

(SOUNDBITE OF PLANES RUMBLING)

ESTRIN: Big, gray U.S. military planes flying so close you can read the letters on the bottom - U-S-A-F, U.S. Air Force. Avi Scharf has been tracking their flight path throughout the ceasefire. He's a national security editor for the Israeli paper Haaretz.

AVI SCHARF: Photos and videos circulating out of Tel Aviv International Airport show about 40 to 50 U.S. Air Force aerial tankers deployed currently at the airport, which is quite an uptick from what we had in the past several weeks of the ceasefire.

ESTRIN: He says these are aerial-refueling jets flying in from U.S. bases in the Mideast on training missions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Trump Sunday about the possibility of renewing the war with Iran. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to NPR without authorization to speak publicly. President Trump wrote on social media Sunday, for Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving fast, or there won't be anything left of them. Time is of the essence.

SIMA SHINE: I think we are very close to a decision of the president.

ESTRIN: Sima Shine is a former senior official with the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency and an analyst on Iran. She thinks Trump is preparing the ground for a renewed military attack, but at the same time, Iran appears to be trying to find a diplomatic way out. This weekend, Iran held talks with Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan.

SHINE: I think the only option for a renewed diplomatic channel is if Iran brings something that doesn't have to answer all the demands of the U.S., but has to answer one or two of the main demands on Hormuz or the nuclear issue.

ESTRIN: Iran's nuclear enrichment continues to be a main sticking point. The recent U.S.-Israeli war with Iran did not destroy most of its nuclear or missile assets. They survived in underground bunkers, according to a new assessment by former head of Israeli military intelligence Tamir Hayman. Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio the purpose of any military action now, whether limited or abroad, would be to pressure Iran to give up its nuclear enrichment.

Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

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