The Dramatic Israeli-American Meeting at the Pentagon - Amid Tensions with Iran
The sense of impending threat regarding an American attack in Iran is escalating. The Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the IDF, Major General Shlomi Binder, arrived in Washington and held meetings with senior Pentagon officials. Concurrently, the Saudi Defense Minister also arrived.
Against the backdrop of a potential military strike in Iran: The Trump administration is hosting senior security and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia in Washington this week. According to a report in "Axios," Trump has ordered the reinforcement of military forces in the Gulf in preparation for possible action, leading to high alert in Israel and other countries in the region anticipating a military development.
As part of these intensive contacts, IDF Intelligence Chief, Major General Shlomi Binder, held meetings with senior officials at the Pentagon, the CIA, and the White House. Sources familiar with the details noted that the Israeli delegation arrived in the American capital to share intelligence on potential targets within Iran, following a request from the US administration for specific information.
Diplomatic Maneuvers: Concurrently, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is expected to hold meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials. The Saudis, fearing a comprehensive regional war, are working to promote a diplomatic solution and have even passed messages between the US and Iran in recent days in an attempt to calm tensions. The Saudi Crown Prince also clarified to the Iranian President that his country would not allow the US to use its airspace for an attack.
US Military Readiness: White House officials stated that President Trump has not yet made a final decision, but the military deployment in the Gulf is expected to be completed in the coming days. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has already arrived in the region, and President Trump described the amassed naval force as an "Armada" larger than the one previously sent to Venezuela. Currently, no serious negotiations are taking place, and American officials note that Iran is rejecting the US's maximalist conditions.
According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal," several Middle Eastern governments are currently trying to push the United States and Iran toward diplomatic talks to prevent a possible military conflict, but these efforts are failing as both sides entrench in their positions. Diplomatic urgency is increasing now that the US has moved significant firepower to the region and President Trump is voicing new threats to attack Iran if no agreement is reached.
Regional Mediation Efforts: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate talks with his Iranian counterpart and President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, but no progress was recorded. As noted in the WSJ, Iran strongly opposed American conditions and warned that targets across the region would be legitimate objectives in the event of an American attack. Similar efforts by Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia have also yielded no results. Turkey, a NATO ally, is also pressuring Washington to negotiate, with the Turkish Foreign Minister suggesting the Americans close files with Iran one by one, starting with the nuclear issue, rather than demanding everything as a single package