Military action against Iran is a controversial topic in Israel and The United States. Proponents of a strike against Iran point to the threat presented by Iran's nuclear program as a casus belli. Many Israelis, and particularly hardline politicians such as Prime Minister Netanyahu, support military action. Opposition to military action is often based in pacifism, but some who are opposed to military action against Iran are opposed for other reasons.
Tel Aviv residents Ronny Edry and his wife, Michal Tamir, with their Israel loves Iran campaign contributed the greatest Israeli NGO effort to persuade the Ayatollah not to enrich uranium to weapons grade. Kelsey Davenport, the Director of Nonproliferation Policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association is the biggest American restraint against Netanyahu &/or NATO's rulers launching & in May 2023, she warned that "a nightmare scenario" is occurring. President Biden asked the Ayatollah to repatriate 3 of his hostages to the U.S. & offered to unfreeze $17 billion in exchange for a verbal promise not to enrich his uranium to 90%. So far, as usual, the Ayatollah has declined to agree.
In 2021, Iran enriched kilograms of U235 to 20% purity & then to 60% purity. As of 13 May 2023, Iran had 114.1 kg of 60% HEU & 470.9 kg of 20% HEU & was enriching 20% at a rate of .406 kg/day. The Institute for Science wrote that "With a monthly average production rate of 9 kg (U mass) per month, Iran could amass enough 60 percent HEU for three nuclear weapons by mid-June." Some people expect that the uranium enrichment trend will continue all the way to 90%, weapons grade uranium. Iran has warheads with conventional detonators in abundance. The scheduled completion date for Iranian warheads that have functioning nuclear detonators is vague & not publicly known with certainty. The world is waiting for the orders from the Ayatollah to enrich to 90% a Significant Quantity (SQ) or more of uranium hexafluoride gas & then to convert the hex(afluoride) to metal at either the Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant (FPFP) or the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in the city of Isfahan/Esfahan. The Prime Minister of Israel has repeatedly warned that he will be forced to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities. Israel's high yield nuclear missiles haven't been tested as to their kilotons of yield. In a war situation, it is anticipated that Hizbollah will attempt to launch tens of thousands of rockets from Lebanon against Israel and that Israel will annex Lebanon and make a peace announcement. The main issue is the danger of an eventual, post-peace announcement counterstrike & then a few months afterwards, the POTUS' outlook toward economic suffering in the cities in Iran & Damascus, vis-à-vis the President of Russia's outlook toward Tbilisi.
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On numerous occasions, the Prime Minister of Israel has threatened to launch nuclear missiles against Iran's illegal underground nuclear facilities. Iran's underground nuclear facilities are illegal under the NPT.
On March 9, 2023, Netanyahu said, "I came back into government principally in order to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state, to do everything in my power to prevent them, as I've been doing in my years in this office, to prevent them from becoming a nuclear power."
On March 9, 2023, Netanyahu also said:
On January 16, 2023, Netanyahu said, "Iran is responsible for 90% of the problems in the Middle East. This regime threatens to destroy us. We will not wait for a sharp sword to be placed on our necks. The IDF together with the Mossad and together with Shin Bet will do whatever it takes to prevent this."
On August 27, 2020, US Vice President Kamala Harris said, "Let me be clear, we will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Period."
US Senate Leader Mitch McConnell wrote that "[Biden's] Administration must [...] end Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability.
On January 8, 2020, after withdrawing from the JCPOA, then President Donald Trump said, "As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon."
On March 23, 2023, CJCS Milley testified to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that "From the time of an Iranian decision, as you have heard in previous testimony from members of OSD, Iran could produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks and would only take several more months to produce an actual nuclear weapon. But the United States remains committed as a matter of policy that Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon."