Top US officials will tell their Israeli counterparts on Tuesday that the Biden administration remains committed to diplomacy with Iran, but if necessary would be prepared to pursue "other avenues" to ensure Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon, a senior US official said.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
A visit to Washington by a senior Israeli delegation headed by national security adviser, Eyal Hulata, will allow the two allies to share intelligence and develop a "baseline assessment" of how far Tehran's nuclear program has advanced, the official said.
The Israeli delegation that landed in Washington on Monday also includes representatives from the Foreign and Defense ministries, the IDF and the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service.
Under a flawed 2015 deal, Iran curbed its uranium enrichment program, a possible pathway to nuclear arms, in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. Then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and the Israeli government opposes US efforts to revive it.
In broad terms, US experts believe the time it would take Iran to achieve nuclear "breakout" – enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb – has "gone from about 12 months down to a period of about a few months," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Obviously that is quite alarming," the official told reporters ahead of Hulata's talks with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Iran has consistently denied it is developing nuclear weapons.
Echoing US President Joe Biden's comments in a White House meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in August, the official said: "We of course remain committed to a diplomatic path."
"But obviously if that doesn't work there are other avenues to pursue, and we are fully committed to ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon," the official added.
Asked what actions were under consideration and whether that included military options, the official said "we'll be prepared to take measures that are necessary" but did not elaborate.
The official said that Iran was "sending indications to a number of parties that they are preparing to come back to Vienna," where the United States and Iran held indirect talks earlier this year that stalled.
Signaling that obstacles remain, however, Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday that the United States must first release $10 billion of Tehran's frozen funds as a sign of goodwill, something the Biden administration has shown no willingness to do.
Bennett has made it clear he wants Biden to harden his stance against Iran, Israel's regional arch-foe and a threat to moderate Sunni Arab countries in the Middle East.
As a reminder, last week Bennett met with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield following his address to the General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.
In the meeting with Thomas-Greenfield, the Israeli leader said that "the reengagement of the United States with international institutions is a good opportunity to bring balance to these institutions vis-à-vis Israel," according to a statement from his office.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
"Many times we feel these institutions are slanted and sometimes unfair and I think the new spirit between America and Israel can be brought to bear and we can do great things together," Bennett added, echoing the optimistic tone that ended his inaugural speech to the UN General Assembly earlier in the day.
Bennett invited Thomas-Greenfield to visit Israel and she accepted.
"We're looking forward to your visit," Bennett told Thomas-Greenfield during the meeting.
