Israel's Mossad chief in Washington as Netanyahu presses Trump to resume strikes on Iran

In brief

• Israel's Mossad director Roman Gofman is in Washington talking with senior Trump administration officials about the war with Iran.
• Prime Minister Netanyahu is pressing Trump to resume strikes on Iran, but Trump has so far resisted.
• The US keeps a naval blockade and economic pressure on Iran while assessing whether a deal is possible.

Mossad chief meets US officials

Roman Gofman, director of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, is in Washington on Friday for talks with senior figures in US President Donald Trump's administration on the war with Iran, according to Axios, which cited its sources (Šéf Mossadu jedná ve Washingtonu. Chce obnovit údery proti Íránu – Novinky.cz) (Šéf Mossadu rokuje vo Washingtone o možnostiach obnovenia úderov na Irán – HNonline.sk) (Šéf izraelského Mossadu jedná s Trumpovými lidmi o dalším postupu vůči Íránu – Aktuálně.cz). Reports say he is due to meet CIA Director John Ratcliffe in the capital and then travel to Miami to see Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy. Mossad, the CIA and the White House declined to comment.

Netanyahu pressure on Trump

Gofman is one of Netanyahu's closest associates, and his trip coincides with the prime minister's push for Washington to restart bombing Iran (Šéf Mossadu jedná ve Washingtonu o možnostech obnovení úderů na Írán, píší média – Seznam Zprávy). A US official quoted by Axios said Trump has so far resisted that pressure. The two men last spoke by phone a week earlier, on Thursday.

Washington's current approach

According to the same report, Trump leans toward the view of Gulf partners Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. For now the US keeps a naval blockade and economic pressure on Iran, while it weighs whether a deal with Tehran is possible. Trump has said he could end the conflict immediately if asked by those countries.

Wider context

The International Atomic Energy Agency has meanwhile called on Iran to restore nuclear inspections, warning of a lack of information about its program. Whether Israel and the United States will return to strikes depends on the outcome of these contacts, and no decision has been announced.