NYT: Gulf officials see Israel–Iran war as "almost inevitable"

Armed conflict between Israel and Iran may now be unavoidable, according to a report by The New York Times citing officials and analysts.

The publication noted that the 2015 nuclear agreement intended to limit Iran’s nuclear activities, expired last month. Since then, tough sanctions have been reimposed on Tehran, and efforts to revive negotiations over its nuclear program have stalled.

Iran claims that its stockpile of highly enriched uranium has been destroyed, while Israeli officials insist it has merely been moved to secure locations.

According to the NYT, many officials in the Gulf states now consider a new Israeli strike on Iran almost inevitable, given Israel’s belief that Iran’s advancing nuclear capabilities represent an existential threat.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, said Iranian officials maintain that the country’s missile factories are working nonstop.

“They hope to fire 2,000 rockets at a time to breach Israeli defences, not 500 in 12 days,” he said, referring to the scale of potential future attacks compared to those seen in June.

The report recalled that Israel and Iran had already engaged in direct confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear program during the summer. On the night of June 13, 2025, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched a preemptive strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal of the operation was “to damage Iran's nuclear infrastructure, Iranian ballistic missile factories, and Iran's military capabilities.”

Iran retaliated with missile strikes targeting Israeli cities and with drone attacks.

On the night of June 22, the United States entered the conflict, launching airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Following the US intervention, both sides agreed to a truce.

President Donald Trump later claimed that Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities had been “completely destroyed,” while Tehran insisted that its nuclear infrastructure had suffered no significant damage.

By Tamilla Hasanova