Intel: US, Israel float military option as Iran nuclear talks sputter
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met at the Pentagon to discuss Iran's nuclear program, and the possibility of a military response if negotiations continue to stall.
Israel’s defense chief Benny Gantz sat down with US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon to discuss a range of issues on Thursday, including shared concerns over Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
Austin said ahead of today’s closed-door meeting that he was deeply concerned about what he called Iran’s lack of constructive engagement at the ongoing negotiations in Vienna. He also affirmed that the Biden administration is “prepared to turn to other options” to halt Tehran’s nuclear program if diplomatic talks fail to do so.
The Israeli defense chief said he wants to deepen dialogue with the US on the subject, including on “joint military readiness to face Iran and to stop its regional aggression and nuclear aspirations.”
Gantz’s office later said the pair held a “meaningful discussion … with a particular focus on the developing challenge vis-à-vis the Iranian nuclear program and its regional aggression." He later met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
