Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that his country had not yet completed its mission in Iran, reiterating accusations that Tehran was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Iran has consistently denied.
Speaking during an official ceremony, Katz said: “As far as Iran is concerned, the mission is not yet complete. Iran is attempting to resume its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, in addition to other dangerous activities that pose a real threat to Israel.”
Israel has waged two wars against Iran: the first in June 2025, which lasted 12 days, and the second, in cooperation with the United States, in February 2026, which triggered a wider conflict across the Middle East.
Following the conclusion of the U.S. midterm elections, advisers to President Donald Trump and his international allies are seeking to influence his decision regarding the future of the war with Iran, amid divisions within the administration between those who support ending it and others who call for resuming military operations and expanding the confrontation.
These pressures emerged after voters expressed clear opposition to the war at the ballot box, while Vice President JD Vance questioned the war’s value and costs in a social media post.
Vance had informed Trump, before publishing his remarks, that he intended to hold the war responsible for the electoral defeat, according to U.S. officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, another faction, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, supports resuming large-scale military operations against Iran. U.S. officials said this option had been raised during recent briefings on the military options available to the president.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, meanwhile, joined Vance in urging Trump to continue supporting diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
At the same time, other advisers from outside the administration contacted the U.S. president, urging him to end the war.
This division reflects disagreements within Trump’s inner circle over the next step: whether to resume the war in pursuit of a strategic resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, or maintain economic and diplomatic pressure to reach an agreement that ends the confrontation, amid the war’s mounting political costs and its impact on the White House’s calculations.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: November 8, 2026.
Updated: November 2026.
