Iranian threat? Blinken abruptly cancels Middle East visit

“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” says White House spokesman.

By World Israel News Staff

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suddenly postponed a planned trip to the Middle East, just one day before he was set to visit Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.

Blinken did not disclose the new dates for his visit, which was scheduled to coincide with the resumption of ceasefire and hostage deal talks this Thursday.

The decision to cancel the trip sparked speculation that the Biden administration fears an Iranian or Hezbollah attack on Israel could spark regional war.

However, Iran has sent mixed messages in recent days regarding the timing of an attack which was originally predicted to occur this week.

Iranian officials have hinted that should Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire agreement, the Islamic Republic would not retaliate for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on its soil.

But according to a Walla report, the reason for the trip being pushed off is indeed concerns over regional stability and Blinken’s safety, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter revealed.

White House spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday evening that the U.S. shares Jerusalem’s concerns that Iran and its proxies may launch a large-scale attack against the Jewish state this week.

“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here. Could be this week,” Kirby said at a press conference.

“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” he added.

Kirby admitted that the U.S. and its allies are struggling to conceptualize what an Iranian attack may entail.

“It is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there’s an attack by Iran or its proxies what it could look like,” he said, but stressed that President Joe Biden is “confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel, should it come to that.”