Israel readies for strikes as Trump’s ‘maximum pressure 2.0’ targets Iran’s nuclear threat – the details

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Iran is more vulnerable than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities, according to Israel's new Defense Minister, Israel Katz. He made the statement during his first meeting with the General Staff of the Israeli army on December 11, 2024.

Two days later, the Wall Street Journal revealed that President-elect Donald Trump's team was considering preemptive airstrikes on Iran to halt its nuclear program. 

The report explained that Trump's transition team was developing a strategy called "maximum pressure 2.0" against the Iranian regime, building on the approach from his first term, which focused on stringent economic sanctions.

What has driven both the U.S. and Israeli administrations in this direction?

On April 19, 2024, Israel targeted Iran’s air defense system in Isfahan. Then, on October 26, 2024, Israel carried out a series of attacks, dubbed "Days of Repentance," targeting missile production facilities and air defense systems in Iran. 

These attacks resulted in the destruction of most of Iran’s long-range air defenses and radars, according to the Israeli narrative.

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Israel conducted the largest air operation in its history. 

According to the Israeli military, the attacks destroyed more than 90% of Syria’s strategic surface-to-air missiles, which Israel considers one of the most powerful air defense systems in the Middle East.

During Operation "Northern Arrows," Israel targeted Hezbollah's command centers, missile storage facilities, and strategic tunnels, and hit its positions in Syria, cutting weapons supply lines between Damascus and the Bekaa region.

Despite its weakening with all its regional allies, Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal, still possesses enough enriched uranium to produce four nuclear bombs. It also holds 60% of fissile material that can be converted into nuclear fuel usable for nuclear weapons production in a matter of days.

All these factors may favor a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but the decision remains in the hands of Donald Trump, who is known for focusing on achieving U.S. interests through immense economic and diplomatic pressure rather than direct military escalation.

This position was echoed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz during a Senate hearing, where he confronted Barbara Leaf, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, criticizing the Biden administration's policies toward Iran.

While Israel may have prepared the military ground for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, the groundwork for U.S. cover remains unclear until Trump officially takes office on January 20, 2025. Meanwhile, the ball is in Tehran's court, which now faces two choices: either submit or head toward a military confrontation with an uncertain outcome.