WASHINGTON, March 20. /TASS/. Israel’s strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure have revealed that the United States and the Jewish state are pursuing different goals in the operation in Iran, The Washington Post (WP) reported, citing sources.

According to their information, the rift between the allies regarding the goals of the conflict began to emerge after Israel’s strikes on Iranian oil facilities in early March, which led to the release of toxic substances and acid rain. Additionally, the halting of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on the global economy played a significant role.

"Israel is pursuing a scorched-earth campaign of regime change, which is not what our goal is. <...> Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - TASS] wants to wreck Iran’s economy and decimate its energy infrastructure. Trump wants to keep it intact," a source among high-ranking US officials told the newspaper.

The newspaper noted that the division became evident after US criticism of Israel following its strikes on the South Pars gas field in Iran, about which the White House allegedly knew nothing. Meanwhile, Israeli officials deny any divergence of views and insist that the US and Israeli leaders "talk almost every day and are pursuing a divide-and-conquer strategy based on their mutual strengths."

Earlier, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard acknowledged that the goals of the United States and Israel in their joint military operation against Iran do not align.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.