The Pentagon said on Thursday that officials will discuss shared concerns about Iran with visiting Defense Minister Benny Gantz later on Thursday, but it declined to comment on a Reuters report about discussions on possible Iran-focused military drills.
Reuters exclusively reported on Wednesday, citing a senior U.S. official, that U.S.-Israeli discussions would include possible military exercises to prepare for a worst-case scenario to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail and if their nations' leaders request it.
Gantz's visit to Washington follows an Oct. 25 briefing by Pentagon leaders to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on the full set of military options available to ensure that Iran would not be able to produce a nuclear weapon, the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"I know there's interest in a certain Reuters report," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing.
"I will tell you this: We routinely conduct exercises and training with our Israeli counterparts and I have nothing to announce to or speak to or point to or speculate about today.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Defense Minister Benny Gantz last June
(Photo: Shmulik Almani)
The U.S.-Israeli preparations, which have not been previously reported, underscore Western concern about difficult nuclear talks with Iran that President Joe Biden had hoped would revive a 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
But U.S. and European officials have voiced dismay after talks last week at sweeping demands by Iran's new, hardline government, heightening suspicions in the West that Iran is playing for time while advancing its nuclear program.
The U.S. official declined to offer details on the potential military exercises.