Negotiations or War: Is the Confrontation with Iran About to Resume? | With Ron Ben-Yishai

Commentator Ron Ben-Yishai analyzes the possibility of renewed confrontation with Iran: the U.S. is preparing to expand the land blockade while negotiations continue. Israel and the U.S. are ready for operations of various scales if talks fail.

Alongside reports of progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. military is preparing to expand the naval blockade on Iran to also include land trade. ynet's defense commentator Ron Ben-Yishai explains that the land blockade is intended to block many supply and smuggling routes. According to intelligence estimates, since January 2025, about two billion dollars worth of military equipment has been smuggled into Iran via land, the Caspian Sea, and cargo planes from China. Ben-Yishai notes that the Iranians have warned that if Trump goes for a military attack, the war will not end at a time convenient for the U.S. While Israel wants to completely remove the Iranian threat, the U.S. aims to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon through a strong strike, but a more likely possibility is a large-scale operation that will weaken Iran. The Americans are prepared for a major operation, and there is a geographic division of labor: Israel will focus on northern and western Iran, and the U.S. on the center and south.