Mossad Chief Presses Trump Administration for Renewed War on Iran

According to a report by Axios, Mossad Chief Roman Gofman visited Washington D.C. on Friday to discuss the possibility of resuming hostilities against Iran with senior officials in the Trump administration. Gofman was reportedly sent by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been urging President Donald Trump to recommence military action against the Ayatollah regime. Gofman met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and was scheduled to meet with Envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami. Witkoff had recently returned from Moscow, where he and Envoy Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.

While the status of U.S.-Iran negotiations remains unclear, and Israel assesses that talks have not yet collapsed, President Trump announced he had instructed Vice President J.D. Vance to disengage from Iran negotiations and focus on domestic issues. Trump stated, "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days are long gone. We have their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we have their oil!"

Amidst Israel's political deadlock and the Republican Party's losses in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli defense officials are preparing for all scenarios concerning Iran. However, the IDF prefers to engage in another campaign alongside the U.S. and not alone, and ideally with broad consensus rather than during an interim government. Defense establishment sources also indicated there is no current urgency for action against Iran.

Israeli intelligence and various U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly possess no information about Iran having weapons or other means that pose an existential threat to Israel, nor any information on the practical development or production of such items. While Iranian officials have previously expressed intentions to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and alter their doctrine towards developing a bomb, and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is said to support this strategy in principle, little has been done in practice. The war with Iran, according to one assessment, has been postponed rather than ended.

President Trump faces several options regarding Iran, including continuing economic pressure as recommended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, or pursuing military action as advised by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. CENTCOM.

Separately, Fox News reported that Attorney General Todd Blanche has been residing at a military facility in the Washington D.C. area for several months, joining Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also recently moved into military housing due to security concerns, including threats from Iran and drug cartels.