The Washington Post has said that intensive international diplomatic efforts to get Iran to step back from launching a new attack on Israel may be having an effect.
The report cited a "blitz" of diplomatic interventions with both Tehran and Tel Aviv. "It’s urgent that everyone in the region take stock of the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said following a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles.
"We’ve been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We’ve communicated that message directly to Israel," he described.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin coming out of the same meeting Tuesday described that the Pentagon is still on alert, with the possibility still high for an Iranian attack, and with American naval and aerial assets still on standby in the region.
"What I’ve been focused on is making sure that we’re doing everything we can to put measures in place to protect our troops and also make sure that we’re in a good position to aid in the defense of Israel, if called upon to do that," Austin said.
But the White House's messaging of late has been more than just a message of defending Israel "if called upon"; instead, President Biden has definitively promised to come to Israel's military aid in the scenario of a major Iranian and Hezbollah attack.
And US administration officials believe this muscle-flexing on behalf of Israel has caused Tehran leaders to "think twice":
Washington’s willingness to flex its military muscles in the region may also be causing Iran to think twice, according to one senior Biden administration official, who told the Post that Iran "understands clearly that the United States is unwavering in its defense of our interests, our partners and our people."
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has laid out several US military steps in recent days to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies, and to safeguard US troops, including the deployments of additional fighter jets. He also said the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the region “later this month.”
Additionally, it has been newly revealed that a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets and an E-2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt have moved from Gulf waters more inward in the Middle East region upon the start of this week.
The past days have also seen sporadic renewed attacks on US bases in Iraq. Austin addressed this threat in his Tuesday remarks, saying "Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region." He additionally asserted that "we remain ready to deploy on short notice to meet the evolving threats to our security, our partners or our interests."
Cheaper and easier to just tell Israel to stop bombing Iran, no? Or is that too simple? https://t.co/tyHECe0PAv
— Daniel McAdams (@DanielLMcAdams) August 7, 2024
Russia too has joined in the efforts to prevent a regional war from exploding:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a restrained response to Israel’s suspected killing of the leader of Hamas, advising against attacks on Israeli civilians, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters.
The message, according to the sources, was delivered on Monday by Sergei Shoigu, a senior ally of the Kremlin leader, in meetings with top Iranian officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the assassination of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh.
On Wednesday, in a fresh call with France's Macron new Iranian President Pezeshkian has said that if Western countries are truly desirous of preventing war, they must force Israel to halt the "genocide" in Gaza and accept a ceasefire, state media reported.
