Axios: US hosts Israeli intelligence chief and Saudi defense minister on Iran

Administration of the US president Donald Trump is hosting senior defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran as the US president considers military strikes against the Islamic Republic. About this reports Axios media outlet, citing unnamed U.S. officials and two other people with knowledge of the matter.

According to journalists, Israeli representatives have arrived in Washington to share intelligence on possible targets in Iran, and Saudi officials are very concerned about a potential regional war and are trying to help find a diplomatic solution.

White House officials say Trump has not yet made a final decision. On January 28, the US president again threatened Iran with an attack that would "far worse" than the previous one, if no nuclear deal is reached. However, his advisers say he is still willing to consider the diplomatic route.

Two U.S. officials reported that on 27-28, Israel's military intelligence chief, general Shlomi Binder, met with senior officials from the Pentagon, Central Intelligence Agency, and the White House.

One person with knowledge of the matter said that Binder had come to brief the Trump administration on specific intelligence that it had requested on Iran.

Saudi defense minister prince Khalid bin Salman is also expected to hold meetings on Iran at the Pentagon, the State Department and the US presidential Administration, in particular with the head of US diplomacy Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. The official will be in Washington on January 29-30.

In recent days, the Saudis have been transmitting messages between the United States and Iran in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

On July 27, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian "president" Massoud Paezeshkian that his country would not allow the United States to use its airspace in an attack.

Earlier, Iranian officials had repeatedly threatened a military response in the event of a US attack.

According to U.S. officials, the U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf will be completed in the coming days.

The directive at the moment is to prepare, but it looks like Trump will reach another decision point on Tehran in the coming days, an unnamed US official said.

• Iran's foreign minister said that the regime's armed forces are ready to "immediately and decisively" respond to any aggression and "have their fingers on the trigger". Meanwhile, the Turkish media outlet Hürriyet writes that Erdoğan offered Trump trilateral talks between Washington, Tehran and Ankara.
• The Reuters sources said that the US president is considering a new strike on Iran to resume protests and contribute to the overthrow of the current regime.