Mossad chief holds Iran war talks in Washington as Trump resists Netanyahu
Israeli intelligence chief Roman Gofman is in the US for discussions as President Trump favours economic pressure over military action.
Israel’s Mossad chief Roman Gofman is in Washington for talks with senior Trump administration officials regarding the war in Iran, according to a report by the Times of India citing Axios. Gofman, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is meeting CIA Director John Ratcliffe and is expected to travel to Miami to meet White House envoy Steve Witkoff.
The visit occurs as Washington and Jerusalem differ on how to handle Iran. President Donald Trump has resisted calls from Netanyahu to return to military action, instead favouring a naval blockade and continued economic pressure to allow for possible diplomatic agreements. Trump said on Thursday that he is extending the current approach at the request of regional allies, including Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Reports from Israeli news outlets Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth described a recent telephone conversation between Trump and Netanyahu as a "shouting match from hell" regarding the future of the conflict. While Netanyahu reportedly pressed for renewed military strikes and regime change, Trump has indicated a preference for negotiations. The Prime Minister’s Office rejected these accounts, calling them "fake news, complete nonsense."
Netanyahu argued during the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset on November 10 that toppling the Iranian regime is the only way to remove the existential threat. In a separate interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Trump stated he did not think there was any reason to restart the war.
In Israel, Netanyahu faces a political crisis after losing his parliamentary majority in the October 27 election. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has a mandate to form a new government, said he met Netanyahu and the prime minister's military secretary this week to ensure oversight of the outgoing government's actions.