US Ambassador Doubts Iran's Comprehension of Washington's Message and Warns of Continued Strengthening of Its Influence

US Ambassador to the occupying state Mike Huckabee doubted Iran's comprehension of the message that the United States wanted to convey through the attack on the Fordow nuclear facility in June/June last year, warning of Tehran's continued attempts to strengthen its regional influence.

He said during a speech at a conference of the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies: "I don't know if Iran took Trump seriously until the night B-2 bombers flew over Fordow."

The US ambassador added, "I hope they understood the message, but perhaps they didn't fully understand it, as it seems they are trying to rebuild their influence and find a new way to deepen and tighten the noose, making it more secure."

Huckabee warned European countries about Iran, saying, "If Europeans do not realize that this represents a real threat to all of Europe, they are stupider than I sometimes think."

This comes at a time when Hebrew and American media said on Monday that occupying government Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to obtain a green light from US President Donald Trump for a new attack on Iran without direct American participation.

Trump will host Netanyahu in Miami, Florida, on December 29.

Quoting unnamed Israeli official sources, the Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" said that Netanyahu will present Trump with updated intelligence information related to Iran and the Hamas Hezbollah movement, in an attempt to convince him of the danger of what the occupation considers an acceleration in Iran's production of ballistic missiles.

The sources considered Trump's approval of a solo Israeli strike against Tehran as a major achievement for Netanyahu, given the occupation's awareness that the United States does not want to engage directly in a new military confrontation.

Last Saturday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called US Central Command Commander Brad Cooper and informed him that the occupation is concerned about a missile maneuver launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a few days ago, according to the "Axios" website quoting American and Israeli sources.

The sources said that Zamir informed Cooper that the recent Iranian missile movements and other operational steps may be a cover for a surprise attack, and urged American coordination with the occupation regarding defensive preparations.

The Army Radio quoted an unnamed security official on Monday as saying: "We are monitoring Iranian efforts to manufacture ballistic missiles at a high pace."

The security official added that Iranian armament will be central to Netanyahu and Trump's talks during their upcoming meeting next week.

According to the occupation's claims, at the end of the war, Iran had 1,500 missiles left, down from 3,000 it had, and 200 launch pads out of 400.

It added that the Iranians have begun taking steps to rebuild their forces, but they have not returned to the level they were at before the war.