The military buildup is now visible on the ground. This week, ten US military transport aircraft landed at Israeli Air Force bases, part of an airlift moving military equipment into the region.
KAN News reported on Thursday that the planes flew in from Fort Bliss in Texas and landed at the Ovda and Nevatim air bases in southern Israel. Other aircraft in the same convoy landed in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
An Israeli source told KAN that Washington and Jerusalem are coordinating closely on Iran. "Although a decision has not yet been made on the matter, the Americans and Israel are preparing for any decision that [US] President [Donald] Trump makes," the source said.
In Washington, Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, briefed Trump on military options for renewed strikes against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were also at the meeting. The president has not yet decided whether to resume the fighting.
The Israeli Air Force has also been holding exercises meant to show its readiness.
Israel's political and military leadership did not want to start a strike before the elections, but preparations continued at a rapid pace. Both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would enter any new campaign after elections in their own countries, and Netanyahu would remain in office as caretaker prime minister.
Diplomatic contacts continue alongside the military preparations. The Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported progress in indirect talks and said a US delegation had arrived in Doha to help move the sides toward direct negotiations. According to an Iranian source quoted by the paper, an Iranian deputy foreign minister was in Qatar and a mediator was passing messages between the two sides. The talks have focused on first steps on the nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and economic incentives for Iran. The paper said China and Russia could serve as guarantors of any agreement.
Deep gaps remain over three main issues: Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program and its missiles. Trump has spoken publicly about Hormuz and the nuclear file, while Israel also wants to stop Iran's military buildup.
On Thursday, Tehran agreed in principle to a mediation framework, but said it would not discuss its nuclear program until the war ends, the US naval blockade is lifted and the Strait of Hormuz reopens. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran had reviewed a letter from US Vice President JD Vance but saw no need to meet American officials, adding that Iran was ready for war.
