Emergency Cabinet Meeting: Israel Prepares for the Worst as Nuclear Talks Resume
As the United States and Iran prepare to meet in Oman, the Israeli government has moved up its emergency cabinet meeting to address the grave threat of an Iranian missile program that remains "off-limits" for negotiators.
In a clear sign of the escalating stakes surrounding the resumed nuclear negotiations in Oman, the Israeli Security Cabinet has moved its scheduled meeting from Sunday to Thursday afternoon. This emergency session at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem comes as a direct response to the unyielding stance of the Iranian regime, which insists that its vast ballistic missile program is not up for discussion. For Israel, this is not a theoretical debate but a matter of national survival. During the 12-day war in June 2025, Iranian missile salvos slammed into Israeli population centers, causing dozens of deaths and destroying housing and infrastructure. While the Israeli military managed to hunt down and destroy approximately one-third of Iran’s mobile launchers during that war, the remaining two-thirds of the arsenal continues to cast a long, lethal shadow over the diplomatic table in Muscat.
The Arsenal Israel Cannot Ignore
U.S. intelligence confirms that Iran currently possesses the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. These weapons have been continuously upgraded for greater accuracy, lethality, and reliability. The arsenal includes short and medium-range systems such as the Shahab family, as well as newer, more sophisticated variants like the Ghadr and Emad. Of particular concern to Israeli defense officials are solid-fueled systems like the Sejjil, which can be prepared for launch much faster than liquid-fueled rockets, leaving very little time for interception or civilian warnings.
The reach of these weapons is comprehensive. Multiple Iranian systems are in the 2,000 km class, which places every inch of Israeli territory within range. Furthermore, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has spent decades dispersing and hardening these forces within "missile cities," deep underground storage sites located in provinces like Kermanshah and Semnan. These facilities are designed to survive the very types of airstrikes Israel used during the June war, ensuring that the regime can continue firing even under heavy bombardment.
A Tool of Terror and Coercion
Tehran officially labels its missile force as a "deterrent," but in practice, it has become a primary tool for regional terror. The IRGC has repeatedly used these missiles to strike targets in Iraq and Syria, and during the June 2025 war, they even targeted the U.S. Al Udeid base in Qatar as a form of political signaling. Israel views the missile threat as inseparable from the nuclear file. A regime with nuclear capabilities and a mature, deliverable missile force is a nightmare scenario that the Israeli government is not willing to accept.
As the talks in Oman begin, the core tension remains unresolved. Iran is desperate for sanctions relief and diplomatic momentum, yet they are locking in their missile program as untouchable. For the Israeli cabinet meeting on Thursday, the focus will be on ensuring that the international community understands that a "nuclear-only" deal is a hollow victory if the delivery systems for those weapons remain active. The weapons Iran refuses to negotiate are the same ones that killed Israeli civilians last year, and Israel is signaling that it will take any necessary measures to ensure those launchers never fire again.