‘We’re not done with Iran’, warns Israel

Israel has said it is “not done with Iran”, as a fragile truce between the two countries hangs in the balance. Speaking at a ceremony for Israeli troops on Sunday, Israel Katz , the Israeli defence minister, said: “With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. “Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, alongside other grave efforts that place the state of Israel in real danger.” Tehran has repeatedly denied that it is developing nuclear weapons , despite accusations by the US and Israel.

Donald Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely and totally obliterated” in June after the US-Israeli bombing campaign, and has repeatedly said that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon”. However, he has hinted that he is considering another attack on an Iranian nuclear facility , amid reports that Iran is bracing for strikes. Benjamin Netanyahu , the Israeli prime minister, who is fighting for his political life, has repeatedly threatened new strikes against Iran in recent weeks.

But it remains unclear whether he has the support of Mr Trump, his close ally, who suffered a major defeat in the US midterm elections on Tuesday, in large part because of the war in Iran. Mr Netanyahu reportedly pushed for an air strike against Iran on the eve of the Israeli election , before the US found out and stopped it. On Friday, the US announced it was offering a reward of up to $20m (£16m) for information about Iran’s nuclear programme.

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme is asking for tips on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, equipment and associated staff. It is also offering potential relocation for anyone who could provide such details. But Washington and Tehran are also reportedly closer to a breakthrough in efforts to end the war, with Iran showing willingness to discuss its nuclear programme. A diplomat with knowledge of the talks told Bloomberg that Iran was studying proposals related to its atomic programme presented by Qatar, the chief mediator, which were previously off the table.

“We will never have a perfect peace deal but you can’t wait for that perfect moment.” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani , the Qatari prime minister, said on Friday. On Sunday, Mr Trump said it was “highly unlikely” that there would be a return to war if there was progress in negotiations. He repeated that point five times on an interview with CNN, adding: “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.” There has been mounting speculation that Washington could resume large-scale strikes on Iran following the midterms.

On the eve of the election, Mr Trump said he “might need to go after Pickaxe [Mountain]”, but that he was in “no rush” to do so. US Central Command (Centcom) has established a task force to reinforce efforts aimed at preventing Iran using land routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials. In what the US military called an expansion of the naval blockade, Task Force Iron Gate would be aimed at “preventing the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea”, Adml Brad Cooper , Centcom chief, said in a statement.

Iran already faces a naval blockade which Centcom estimates has prevented Tehran from exporting more than $25bn (£20bn) worth of crude oil. Tehran dismissed the task force as “wordplay” in a statement to the semi-official Fars news agency. On Sunday, Iran executed three men convicted of carrying out operations for Israel and the US. State media reported that Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh were executed after being accused of using guns, grenades and Molotov cocktails, setting fire to public facilities, and damaging an electricity substation in the city of Karaj.

Mr Katz declared that the Iran-backed Hezbollah would “suffer extremely severe blows” if it renewed attacks. “We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria,” he added. “And if the terrorist organisation Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows.” Meanwhile, three oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran frequently targets ships sailing without its authorisation, according to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological arm of Iran’s military.

“Since the early hours of this morning, three non-compliant tankers have exploded and caught fire while they were sailing in the illegal channel in the Strait of Hormuz.” UKMTO, the British maritime agency, reported that a tanker had caught fire in the strait one day earlier, off the coast of Khasab, Oman. Iran later said one of the tankers had hit a mine.