Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, citing two unnamed Israeli officials, reported in Axios yesterday that the U.S. and Israel held secret talks on Iran last week, to discuss a possible “plan B” in case nuclear talks are not resumed. The meeting last week was held via a secure video conference call and led by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata.
The Israeli side stressed the need to move ahead with a “plan B” on Iran, due to the stalemate in diplomatic talks and Iran’s nuclear acceleration, Ravid reported. The U.S. side stressed that it was also concerned about the stalemate and said the U.S. would impose additional sanctions on Iran if talks don’t resume soon, an Israeli official said. A White House spokesperson told Axios that the U.S. “remains engaged in ongoing consultations with the Israeli government on a range of issues related to the challenge posed by Iran.”
Israeli officials, both in the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and in the Defense Ministry, have publicly made clear that Israel intends to employ the option of military strikes if Iran’s nuclear program is not sufficiently restrained by diplomatic efforts.