Members of the IRGC step on US and Israeli flags during the 46th anniversary of the U.S. expulsion from Iran, in Tehran, November 4, 2025. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

“Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down preparedness for the next round.”

Another outbreak of war between Israel and Iran is only a matter of time, according to regional officials and analysts, as reported by The New York Times on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that US strikes obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment program during the 12-day war in June. However, the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOA), a deal between Iran and several global powers to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, expired last month.

Negotiations appear to be dead, and Iran’s claims that its 11 nuclear weapons are either buried or under rubble are not convincing to Israel, according to the NYT’s report.

Additionally, Iran’s new enrichment site, Pickaxe Mountain, is underway, and international inspectors have been prevented from accessing it, as well as other suspected nuclear sites.

With no negotiations underway, no certainty on Iran’s stockpile, and no nuclear oversight, another Israeli attack is almost inevitable, said the NYT.

A woman stands next to an anti-US mural during the 46th anniversary of the U.S. expulsion from Iran, in Tehran, November 4, 2025. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

Iran likely to respond to an attack from Israel

Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said that Iran is likely to respond to an attack from Israel in a less restrained way than it did in June. Vaez was informed by Iranian officials that missile factories are working 24 hours a day, and if there is another war, Iran hopes to fire 2,000 at once, compared to the 500 they sent over a span of 12 days.

There is no certain evidence to brace for a forthcoming attack, but Vaez remarked, “Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down on preparedness for the next round.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said two days following the ceasefire that he would pursue a “policy of enforcement” in an attempt to prevent Iran from rebuilding its air power. His comments suggested that Israel was considering further strikes, according to a June report from the NYT.

Though Iran is currently isolated from the West, its neighbors, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates continue to foster economic ties with the US, with hopes to build a lasting peace deal in Gaza. Additionally, Syria is seeking America’s support under its new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, noted in the report that those same regional Arab powers are still working to preserve their own relationships with Iran.

“They do not want another regional war, and they respect Iran’s ability, however weakened, to create instability through its own military forces and through proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, the Persian Gulf and elsewhere,“ she said.

“Iran is weaker than at any point since the US invasion of Iraq, but not so weak as to be irrelevant, said Iran expert and director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution, Suzanne Maloney. “A weaker Iran is easier for the Gulf States to engage and keep close because Iran, in its desperation, could become more dangerous.”

According to the report, Israel is prepared to attack Iran again if it moves closer to producing a nuclear weapon, officials have warned.

Israel recognizes that Iran’s nuclear program wasn’t destroyed, particularly because Trump stopped the war in June sooner than Israel wanted.

H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate at the Center for American Progress in Washington and at London’s Royal United Services Institute, said she expects Israel to strike again if Iran’s nuclear program remains checked out of negotiations.

“The Iranians are rebuilding, but once they are past a certain line, Israel will attack again,” she said.

The Arab states are continuing to encourage new nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, but with little progress. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran said that Washington had offered “unacceptable and impossible conditions,” including direct talks and a complete, verifiable halt to Iran’s enrichment of uranium.

He again rejected direct talks and an end to enrichment, but he repeated that Iran remained open to indirect talks under certain conditions.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Araghchi also warned Israel of “dire consequences” for any future attack.

Vaez discussed the diplomatic deadlock with the NYT, saying that some Iranian officials want to compromise and make a deal with Trump, and others favor confrontation, believing it is impossible to deal with Him.

But both camps consider another round of confrontation with Israel inevitable, “So the country is doubling down on preparedness for the next round, and they want it to produce a new equilibrium that will wipe out the sense of Iranian weakness,” Vaez said.

The NYT report stated that the majority of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium survived the war, but its status remains unclear. It was estimated that Iran has roughly 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium – close to weapons grade.

While the region’s eyes all focused on Gaza, Vaez believes a nuclear Iran remains a concern. However, Vakil argued that there are nuances in the regional positions.

“There is a window of opportunity for more compromises with Iran, weaker and more isolated,” she said. “And there is worry that in another round of the Iran-Israel war, Iran would be less restrained.“