January 30, 2026 | 12:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia visited the United States this week to discuss Iran amid an increase in U.S. military presence in the region. This was reported by Axios, citing sources from Anadolu on Thursday.
General Shlomi Binder, the head of Israeli military intelligence, held a series of high-level consultations on Tuesday and Wednesday with top leaders in the Pentagon, CIA, and the White House, according to two U.S. officials.
Binder's visit was said to focus on delivering specific intelligence requested by the Trump administration, including data on potential strike targets in Iran.
On the other hand, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is expected to emphasize diplomatic solutions during his meetings on Thursday and Friday, January 30, 2026, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. Department of Defense officials.
Saudi Arabia, which has conveyed messages between Washington and Tehran, previously stated that it would not allow the U.S. to use its airspace in any attack.
Diplomatic tensions arose as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group arrived to complete the "armada" recently boasted by President Donald Trump as "bigger than" the force previously deployed towards Venezuela.
"The directive at the moment is to prepare," said a U.S. official, indicating that the president is quickly approaching a final decision on military action against Iran.
Neither party has provided public information about the ongoing meetings reported by the media.
Trump has called on Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program before it's too late, warning that this time the attack would be "far worse."
It is unclear why Trump then refocused on Iran's nuclear program, which he claimed had been "obliterated" by the U.S. attack last summer.
However, Iran is alleged to be attempting to rebuild its nuclear sites deeper underground, according to someone familiar with recent U.S. intelligence on the matter, and has long resisted U.S. pressure to halt its uranium enrichment.
The regime has also barred the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from inspecting its nuclear sites.
Amid the threat of military action, the U.S. also demands preconditions for a meeting with Iranian officials, the source said.
This includes the permanent cessation of uranium enrichment, which is at the core of Iran's nuclear program, new restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program, and the cessation of all support for Iran's proxies in the region.
A key sticking point, the source said, is the U.S. demand for Iran to agree to limit the range of its ballistic missiles, a major concern for Israel, which has spent much of its missile interceptor stockpile on shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles during the 12-day war in June.
Iran rejects this and told the U.S. that it will only discuss their nuclear program. The U.S. has not responded, leading to a deadlock, the source said.
The U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 during the 12-day war with Israel, as reported by TRT World.
Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the West argues that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Israel have also expressed concerns about Iran's ballistic missile program capable of reaching Tel Aviv.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East suspected of having nuclear weapons and does not allow the IAEA to inspect them.
These developments come amid recent protests and unrest in Iran over worsening economic conditions caused by the sharp depreciation of the local currency.
Read: Iran Denies Talks with US Amid Attack Threats
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