Netanyahu agrees to limit attack on Iran, reports Washington Post

(Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to limit his country’s retaliation against Iran over the Oct. 1 rocket attack to military targets, according to a Washington Post report.

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Netanyahu has told the Biden administration that he would attack these types of targets rather than attacking Iran’s oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities, the Post reported, citing two officials familiar with the matter whom it did not name.

The newspaper quoted one of the officials as saying that retaliation for Iran’s rocket fire against Israel would be designed to avoid the impression that Israel was interfering in next month’s U.S. election.

Such a decision would be a relief for President Joe Biden, whose administration has urged Israel not to carry out attacks on Iranian nuclear or energy sites out of fear of an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

Oil prices fell at the start of trading after the report was released. The White House referred questions about Netanyahu’s intentions to Israeli officials on Monday evening.

West Texas Intermediate futures fell 2.9% to $71.70 a barrel, after losing 2.3% on Monday.

In a move possibly aimed at persuading Israel not to attack Iran’s oil sector, the U.S. Treasury Department last week sanctioned 17 ships and 10 companies it said were linked to the “ghost fleet” of tankers that ensured the delivery of Iranian oil and petrochemicals, including to refineries in China.

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