jordan pulse -

Diplomatic sources close to the mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran revealed that Russia has conveyed warning information to Iran regarding joint US-Israeli military plans targeting what remains of the infrastructure of the Iranian nuclear program, foremost among them the fortified underground "Mt. Al-Fas" facility, amid escalating fears of a new round of strikes in the coming days.
The sources told "Eرم News" that the information shared by Moscow with Iranian officials indicates that facilities associated with uranium enrichment and storage top the target bank under discussion in military talks between Washington and Tel Aviv, amid pressure exerted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on US President Donald Trump to deliver a decisive blow to the Iranian nuclear program.
According to the sources, the Russian warnings were accompanied by a direct call to Tehran to enter into urgent negotiations with Washington, aiming to reach an understanding involving a temporary freeze on the nuclear dispute, by discussing uranium enrichment levels and the fate of the Iranian stockpile, thereby paving the way to contain escalation and avoid a new military confrontation.
They explained that intermediaries conveyed to Iranian officials, during contacts held in Doha, estimates suggesting that opening a serious negotiating track regarding the nuclear program could prompt Trump to back down from the option of a strike, especially if it allows him to reach an agreement that can be presented as a political and security achievement.
Netanyahu presses on.. and the nuclear program comes first
In this context, a diplomat familiar with the mediation between Washington and Tehran stated that Netanyahu is intensifying his pressure on the US administration to target the infrastructure of the Iranian nuclear program, considering that current conditions provide an opportunity to deliver a blow from whose repercussions Tehran would find it difficult to recover.
The source added to "Eرم News" that Israeli pressures are based, according to what is circulated in security discussions, on intelligence assessments regarding the acceleration of Iranian work to develop missile and nuclear capabilities, amid fears of the potential future use of those capabilities to produce nuclear weapons.
He pointed out that the Israeli priority focuses on nuclear facilities and enrichment centers, rather than expanding attacks to include energy and electricity facilities and civilian infrastructure, given that targeting the nuclear program represents the most prominent strategic objective in any new operation.
The source revealed that regional officials informed Iranian officials during recent contacts in Qatar that economic and political pressures on Trump are increasing his need to end the war, but from a position that allows him to declare the achievement of his goals, foremost of which is neutralizing the Iranian nuclear threat.
He considered that the results of the midterm congressional elections, and the decline in the Republicans' standing that they produced, add new complications to White House calculations and may push toward accelerating resolution, whether through negotiation or military action.
Mt. Al-Fas.. Trump's declared target
The information revealed by the sources intersects with statements made by Trump at the beginning of November, in which he affirmed that the United States still needs to deal with one or two sites in Iran, pointing directly to the "Mt. Al-Fas" nuclear facility.
Trump said that his country can deal with the remaining targets within ten minutes, referring to Washington's possession of military plans to target them.
The "Mt. Al-Fas" facility, close to the Natanz nuclear complex, acquires special importance due to its mountainous nature and deep underground fortifications, at a time when the nature of the activities taking place inside it remains independently unconfirmed.
Trump's statements coincided with reports in Israeli media about American preparations for the possibility of resuming strikes against Iran, in parallel with raising Israel's military alert level in anticipation of the confrontation expanding to other regional fronts, foremost among them Lebanon.
Nuclear warnings.. Messages to the inside and outside
In an additional indicator of escalating tension, Iranian official media published civil defense guidelines on how to act in the event of a nuclear explosion, including measures to shelter from the blast wave and limit exposure to radioactive materials.
These guidelines raised questions regarding the messages Tehran seeks to convey, and whether they reflect actual fears of unprecedented escalation, or if they are part of media moves aimed at mobilizing public opinion and raising the psychological preparedness for confrontation.
In this framework, expert on Iranian affairs Dr. Nabil Al-Haidari considered that the warnings carry political and propaganda dimensions that exceed their preventive nature, reflecting the Iranian regime's attempt to portray any potential US attack as targeting the Iranian people, rather than solely military and nuclear facilities.
Al-Haidari told "Eرم News" that the timing of these messages is linked, in his estimation, to Tehran's reading of the repercussions of the US congressional elections, and the belief that Trump might seek to respond to his opponents or regain the initiative through a new military escalation.
He added that the Iranian authorities are attempting to exploit the US political scene in their domestic discourse, especially after previous statements by Revolutionary Guard officials addressing the performance of the Republican administration and the repercussions of its economic policies.
He noted that some decision-making circles in Tehran might bet on a decline in Trump's ability to act militarily before power in Congress shifts to the Democrats, but warned that these calculations do not necessarily mean ruling out military action during the transition period.
Will the confrontation reach the nuclear option?
For his part, researcher in regional affairs Dr. Farhad Omar considered that the Iranian warnings regarding the possibility of facing a nuclear strike aim primarily at strengthening the cohesion of the domestic front and presenting the confrontation with Washington as an existential struggle.
Omar explained to "Eرم News" that the media discourse associated with the Revolutionary Guard seeks to entrench the image of Trump as being ready to go to catastrophic military options, in an attempt to mobilize popular support and highlight the magnitude of the external threat.
He pointed out that the deep fortifications of the "Mt. Al-Fas" facility raise serious questions about the ability of conventional weapons to destroy them, noting estimates speaking of tunnels beneath rock layers that may reach a depth of about 300 feet.
He considered that these fortifications might push toward discussing extremely dangerous military options, suggesting, from his perspective, that completely destroying the facility might require capabilities exceeding the effectiveness of conventional bombs.
However, this assessment remains subject to debate, especially given the lack of independent and decisive information regarding the true depth of the facility or the nature of the activities inside it.
Trump had explicitly ruled out, in statements made in mid-October, the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, affirming that the United States does not need to resort to them.
He clarified at the time that the American "Mother of All Bombs," known as GBU-43/B, is not a nuclear weapon, but rather a highly destructive conventional bomb.
On the Israeli political front, Omar considered that Netanyahu seeks to exploit any decisive blow against the Iranian nuclear program to entrench a new image of himself as capable of protecting Israeli national security, thereby strengthening his position in the government-formation battle against his political opponents.
Eرم News