Let's bring in senior White House correspondent Selena Wang to
discuss this.
Selena, Israeli Defense Forces are now vowing,
of course, retaliate as Israel's war cabinet considers its response.
How is the White House responding?
Yeah, Stephanie, look, the White House is bracing for some
kind of response,
and they're making clear that Israel's decision is their own.
But I am told that the president is urging restraint.
We know that the president and Netanyahu had a phone
call after that Iranian attack,
and a senior administration official described their conversation to me
like this,
that the president said, look.
I understand that Israel feels the need to respond in
some way to show strength and to establish that deterrence.
But the president, I'm told,
told Netanyahu that you've already come out of this exchange
looking strong by taking out nearly all of those missiles
and drones.
Israel already, quote, looks untouchable,
is how the official described the exchange to me.
But look, the White House also making clear that the
US,
they're willing to help defend Israel,
but they're not going to participate in any kind of
offensive.
The White House on the recording remaining very tight,
lipped about whether or not they expect Israel to give
them any sort of heads up before they make the
retaliatory move,
but they are making clear that they're in close contact
with their Israeli counterparts.
We'll see if their position shifts at all.
Selena Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the US will not
hesitate to issue new sanctions on Iran following its attack
on Israel.
What kind of impact could these new sanctions have on
Iran and could it realistically make a difference?
Yeah. Well, Stephanie, that actually comes just right after the
G7 leaders meeting with President Biden,
where they discuss working together in a coordinated way on
economic sanctions.
And clearly the administration is trying to show they are
willing to use.
Economic power to disrupt Iran.
And it also sends a message to Israel that there
are other ways to hit back and retaliate at Iran
that are not using military force and military action.
But look, experts say that the options for sanctioning Iran
are limited because they're already so many sanctions on Iran.
But some options include imposing additional sanctions on some officials
or businesses or going after Iran's oil revenues.
But that runs the risk of raising gas prices,
which Stephanie, as you know,
is not what the administration wants right now.
So that's why some experts are saying that any sanctions
that are put on Iran.
May be mostly symbolic.
Senior White House Correspondent Selena Wang for us at the
White House,
thank you so much.