'We Need to Take Military Action': Israeli Defense Minister Threatens War With Iran

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

52% : Sina Toossi, a senior research analyst with the National Iranian American Council, said in a statement marking Raisi's inauguration that the governments of the U.S. and Iran must "eschew confrontation in favor of engagement, return to the nuclear deal on a compliance-for-compliance basis, and work to reduce tensions in the region through dialogue."
52% : "The U.S. should in parallel to the diplomatic track also engage in good-faith and direly needed humanitarian actions including the lifting of sanctions that deny Iranians access to personal communications tools and services and facilitate medical aid to Iran amid the pandemic."
45% : As the Washington Post reported over the weekend, "Hostilities over the past two years between Israel and Iran have frequently played out at sea, in tit-for-tat attacks by both countries on oil tankers, private commercial vessels, or warships -- a conflict often referred to as part of a 'shadow war' that feels increasingly overt."
42% : On Wednesday, Khatibzadeh posted a tweet condemning "provocative and orchestrated" August 1 statements by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, both of whom blamed Iran for the drone strike on the Mercer Street, an oil tanker operated by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime.
38% : "The world needs to take action against Iran now."
38% : Iran has denied that it was behind the drone strike.
37% : Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday that his country is prepared take military action against Iran in the wake of a reported drone strike on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea last week -- a deadly attack that Israel, the U.S., and the United Kingdom have blamed on Iran without offering a shred of supporting evidence or intelligence.
35% : "We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran," Gantz told local reporters.
33% : "Reaffirming our strong commitment to regional stability and maritime security, Iran stands ready to offer assistance in case of any maritime accidents," Khatibzadeh said as the U.S. also accused Iran of hijacking a separate oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
30% : "Having kept silent about repeated terrorist attacks on Iranian ships, they now baselessly accuse Iran," Khatibzadeh wrote.
29% : Romania has joined Israel, the U.S., and the U.K. in blaming Iran for the attack.
28% : In April, Iran accused Israel of attacking one of its nuclear energy facilities and an Iranian vessel stationed in the Red Sea.
18% : In June of 2019, the Trump administration blamed Iran for a tanker attack in the Gulf of Oman.

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