Iran’s military activity and advancements in nuclear capabilities were the central focus of a meeting between top US and Israeli officials at the White House on Monday.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer for a US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group (SCG) session.
Recent reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have amplified concern for joint efforts against the threats Iran poses not only in the Middle East but globally.
Iran now possesses 30 times the stockpile of uranium allowed under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with significant increases in uranium enriched up to 60%. The UN's nuclear chief said Iran was "weeks not months" from a nuclear weapon earlier this year.
Senior representatives from the foreign policy, defense, and intelligence sectors of both nations “discussed developments with respect to Iran’s nuclear program, and discussed mutual coordination on a series of measures to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon,” according to a White House statement.
The SCG meeting, the first since March last year, came after a postponement due to tensions between Israel and the Biden administration over arms supplies amidst Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The renewed dialogue reflects growing Israeli concerns over Iran’s efforts to weaponize components of its nuclear program.
Iran is currently backing a proxy war across the region. Both US and Israeli targets have been in the line of fire as well as a commercial shipping blockade in the Red Sea region which has led to the deaths of seamen and the taking of dozens more hostage.
In Europe, Tehran-backed terror plots have been revealed including attempted murders and kidnappings of Iranian dissidents and Jewish and Israeli targets.
