Katz says economic pressure could push Iran into 'desperate steps'

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that U.S. economic sanctions against Iran have proven to be effective, but the pressure might lead Tehran into extreme measures.

"We see signs indicating that the heavy economic pressure they are under, and the fear of an uprising and the collapse of the regime, may push them to desperate steps," Katz said at a ceremony for defense ministry employees.

Israel launched the Middle East war alongside the United States in late February, but has stayed on the sidelines militarily since President Donald Trump sealed a cease-fire deal in April, even after that truce later fell apart.

Last month, the U.S. Treasury announced a new series of sanctions to "asphyxiate" the Iranian economy, and the U.S. air force resumed strikes on Iran on Sunday.

In retaliation, Iran attacked U.S. military targets in the Gulf and in Israel's eastern neighbor Jordan, but has refrained from targeting Israel.

"The ayatollahs' regime in Iran knows very well why it does not attack Israel after we struck them powerfully twice, destroyed their nuclear program, eliminated [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei, and severely damaged their strategic capabilities," Katz said, referring to previous rounds of confrontation last year and earlier this year.

The hawkish minister reiterated the threats against the Islamic Republic that he has made in recent months. "An Iranian attack on Israel will free Israel from any existing constraint," he said. "We will strike all of Iran's national military and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, and push Iran deep back into the Stone Age."

In an interview on Wednesday, Katz had said Israel was prepared to respond "with great force" if attacked by Iran over the Jewish high holiday season, which begins in mid-September.