Iran May Retaliate Against Israel Before Trump’s Inauguration, Sources Say

Photo: Al Arabiya

In response to the October attack, Iran is reportedly considering a preemptive strike against Israel before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2025. 

According to an anonymous source from the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) of the Islamic Republic, several senior Iranian officials—including members of Ayatollah Khamenei's office, SNSC, the parliamentary security committee, and military leadership—are advocating for such a move, The Caspian Post reports, citing Al-Jarida.

These officials believe a strike would bolster Tehran’s negotiating leverage with the incoming Trump administration. The source also suggested that the Biden administration's permissiveness toward Israeli operations on Iranian soil has fueled calls for retaliation, with some in Iran arguing that the strike should occur before the handover of power to Trump.

However, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other Iranian leaders have reportedly called for delaying the attack not until Trump's inauguration, but until a potential meeting with Trump’s team in Istanbul.

In the meantime, Iranian officials are said to be giving President Biden a "final opportunity" to secure a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and Lebanon. If such a deal is reached, Iran may reconsider its military plans regarding Israel to avoid derailing the ceasefire talks. The situation remains fluid as Iran and Israel continue to navigate tense and complex political and military challenges.