The Trump administration is meeting with senior Israeli and Saudi officials in Washington this week to discuss Iran as the president considers possible military strikes
The Trump administration is holding separate talks this week in Washington with senior defence and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia to discuss Iran, as President Donald Trump weighs potential military strikes, according to a Reuters report, citing two people familiar with the matter.
The meetings come amid rising tensions and a growing US military buildup in West Asia.
On Wednesday, Trump urged Iran to negotiate over its nuclear programme, warning that failure to reach a deal could result in a US attack.
Tehran responded by threatening strong retaliation.
As part of the consultations, Israel’s military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, met with senior officials at the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the White House on Tuesday and Wednesday, Reuters quoted a source as saying.
Axios reported that Binder shared intelligence assessments on potential Iranian targets during the discussions.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman was also in Washington for talks with US officials focused on Iran, Reuters quoted a second source familiar with the discussions as saying.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are seeking to de-escalate tensions and avert a wider regional conflict.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Riyadh would not permit its airspace or territory to be used for military action against Tehran, state news agency SPA reported this week.
According to multiple sources, President Trump is weighing a range of options against Iran, including targeted strikes on security forces and senior leaders aimed at encouraging domestic unrest.
However, Israeli and Arab officials have cautioned that air power alone would not be sufficient to topple Iran’s clerical leadership.
Trump has yet to make a final decision on a course of action, including whether to pursue military options, a US official and one of the sources were quoted as saying.
With inputs from agencies
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