Stalled U.S.–Iran talks and mounting regional tensions are exposing a growing strategic rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to confront Tehran, political analyst James M. Dorsey says, exposing stark differences in approach at a critical moment.
Speaking to AnewZ from Singapore, Dorsey said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes only military action and potentially regime change can secure Israel’s long-term objectives vis-à-vis Iran.
“Netanyahu wants - his preference and his belief is - that only military action and regime change will allow Israel to achieve its goals with regard to Iran,” Dorsey said.
According to Dorsey, that position contrasts with the approach of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking a negotiated solution, even while maintaining the option of force.
“That’s clearly something that Trump does not necessarily share,” Dorsey said, noting that the U.S. president has emphasised for some time his desire for a diplomatic agreement. At the same time, Trump is keeping “the stick” of a significant U.S. military presence in the Middle East should he decide to take military action.
Dorsey argued that the limited progress achieved during talks in Oman last week (6 February) has sharpened questions about Washington’s next move, particularly after Trump warned of serious consequences if Iran fails to respond to U.S. demands.
“It depends on what Trump defines as a successful negotiation,” Dorsey said. “The first question is: what are they negotiating about?”
In Dorsey’s assessment, the scope of negotiations will determine whether diplomacy has room to succeed.
“If it is just the nuclear issue, then there is wiggle room,” he said, arguing that compromise may be possible on key technical questions such as whether Iran can enrich uranium on its own territory and under what conditions it could retain previously enriched material.
However, Dorsey cautioned that if negotiations expand to include ballistic missiles and Iran’s network of non-state allies, the process becomes significantly more complicated.
“If the negotiations are being expanded to include particularly the issue of ballistic missiles, that becomes much more difficult,” he said.
The expert explained that Iran’s conventional military capabilities are limited, making missiles and allied armed groups central to its deterrence strategy.
“Iran’s conventional military forces do not have an air force worth mentioning, do not have a navy worth mentioning,” he said, “The two key pillars of Iran’s defence strategy and deterrence strategy are ballistic missiles and non-state allies.”
According to Dorsey, the weakening of some of those allies over more than two years of conflict in the Middle East, particularly Hezbollah, has only increased the importance of ballistic missiles within Iran’s strategic calculus.
While Yemen’s Houthis remain operational, he suggested that Tehran’s reliance on missile capabilities has grown as other pillars of its regional posture have come under strain.
In Dorsey’s view, this strategic reality places President Trump in a delicate position. Limiting negotiations to the nuclear file could create diplomatic flexibility, while broadening the agenda to include missiles and regional proxies would strike at the heart of Iran’s deterrence doctrine.
Ultimately, Dorsey suggested that the trajectory of U.S.-Iran diplomacy will depend on how President Trump balances pressure with pragmatism, and on whether Washington and Tel Aviv can reconcile their differing visions of how to address the Iranian challenge.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk...
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, s...
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a ...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, stranded vehicles and disrupted transport across the island.
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, a senior UN official has warned.
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the tumour was detected during a routine health check, but its stage and whether it has spread remain unknown.
Greek students braved heavy rain to pitch tents outside parliament in Athens on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing and more education funding as rising living costs put university places beyond the reach of some students.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment