AhlulBayt News Agency: A new investigation has revealed that U.S. diplomatic engagement with Iran before the June Israeli-American war was used as a cover to conceal looming military action.
The probe, jointly conducted by The Washington Post and PBS Frontline, was reported by the daily on Wednesday.
It showed that the indirect talks preceding the assault were deceptively portrayed as ongoing and potentially fruitful.
However, Israeli officials had already resolved to strike, with their American counterparts fully aware of the plan, the report noted.
According to the daily, in early 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with several scenarios for attacking Iran, ranging from a unilateral Israeli strike to full-scale U.S.-led military aggression.
Trump later claimed he wanted to “give nuclear diplomacy with Iran a chance,” but intelligence-sharing and operational planning continued simultaneously, the report added, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials believed that presenting diplomacy as an option was important for shaping global public opinion if they ultimately chose to attack Iran, the investigation found.
In the days leading up to the strikes, Trump continued to insist he preferred negotiations, while Israeli officials allowed media speculation about supposed tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv over the aggression.
“All the reports suggesting Netanyahu was not aligned with [U.S. envoy Steve] Witkoff or Trump were false,” a source familiar with the matter said.
“But this perception helped the planning move forward without attracting much attention.”
Civilians not spared
The paper and investigative outlet Bellingcat confirmed civilian deaths during the attacks, which targeted Iranian scientists, challenging Israeli claims that civilian harm was minimized.
One of the strikes aimed at Iranian scientists caused significant civilian casualties, including the death of a two-month-old infant.
The report also highlighted Israel’s failed attempt to assassinate nuclear scientist Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber at his home, which instead killed his 17-year-old son. Days later, Saber himself was martyred at a relative’s house during his son’s mourning ceremony, in an attack that killed 15 civilians, including four minors, and destroyed two homes.
At least 1,062 people were killed during the aggression, including 276 civilians.
Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles, including ballistic and hypersonic types, at strategic Israeli targets and the U.S. Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar, a key hub of American military operations in West Asia.
The counterattack forced the adversaries to request a ceasefire within just 12 days of the unlawful war.
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