Mossad chief holds Iran war talks in Washington as Trump resists Netanyahu - Report

Israel’s Mossad chief Roman Gofman is reported to be in Washington for talks with senior Trump administration officials on the war in Iran, an Axios report, citing three sources familiar with the visit, revealed on Friday. Gofman, one of Netanyahu's closest confidants, is meeting CIA Director John Ratcliffe and is also expected to travel to Miami for discussions with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, one of the sources told Axios.

The visit comes amid differences between Washington and Jerusalem over how to deal with Iran. US president Donald Trump has so far resisted Netanyahu's calls to return to military action, favouring continued economic pressure and a naval blockade while leaving room for a possible diplomatic agreement. Trump and Netanyahu discussed the conflict during a phone call on November 5, according to a US official cited by Axios. The US president has instead aligned himself with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in backing the continued pressure campaign against Tehran.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump said he could end the conflict immediately but was extending the current approach at the request of regional allies. He said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states preferred that Washington maintain the present course as Iran came under mounting pressure. Netanyahu is going through his own political crisis after having lost his parliamentary majority following the October 27 election, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has received a mandate to try to form a new government.

Opposition figures have expressed concern that Netanyahu could order fresh strikes on Iran, or provoke an Iranian response, to disrupt Eisenkot's efforts to form a government and remain in power, Axios reported. Netanyahu met Eisenkot for two hours on Thursday and briefed him on developments involving Iran. A source close to Eisenkot told Axios that he did not believe the current situation warranted immediate military action against Tehran.

In a statement on Friday, Eisenkot said he had met Netanyahu and the prime minister's military secretary during the week and had made clear that he would not allow a lack of oversight of the outgoing government's actions during the transition. “Israel's security takes precedence over every other consideration and must never be used as a means of political capital,” Eisenkot said, adding that he expected all officeholders to uphold the same principle.