Defense Minister Israel Katz made the comment following the indefinite extension of an ongoing truce by the US
Israel is waiting for a go-ahead from the US to resume the campaign against Iran and bomb the Islamic Republic back to “the Stone Age,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has stated.
The message comes after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Tehran indefinitely on Tuesday to allow time for a potential deal, while keeping American naval blockade of Iranian ports in place.
”Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran,” Katz said on Thursday. “We are awaiting a green light from the United States… to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty… and to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age” by destroying its key energy facilities and economic infrastructure, he said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family were killed on the first day of the Israeli-US campaign. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as his successor.
Some US politicians and media commentators have claimed Washington was “dragged” into the war, citing close military coordination with West Jerusalem. Others have pointed to the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington. Trump has rejected the accusation.
In the days leading up to the attack on February 28 there were indirect talks and reports of extended rounds of discussion between the US and Iranian delegations in Oman. Oman’s foreign minister even suggested that peace was within reach and that diplomacy should be allowed to do its work.
The “Stone Age” rhetoric was first used by Trump on April 1, roughly five weeks into the fighting. At the time, he warned that US forces would “hit [Iran] extremely hard” and could “bring them back to the Stone Ages” within “two to three weeks” if Tehran refused US demands, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to a deal imposing stricter limits on its nuclear activities.
Tehran has rejected the demands, refusing to stop nuclear enrichment, which it says it needs for civilian purposes, including energy production and medical applications.
READ MORE: Iran ready for both talks and war – envoy
Tehran remains open to both diplomacy and continued fighting, according to Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali. In an interview with RT published on Friday, he accused Washington of undermining diplomacy, citing its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and attacks carried out while talks were ongoing.
