Mossad chief meets CIA in Washington as Israel presses for Iran war
Axios reports Roman Gofman saw CIA director John Ratcliffe and is expected to meet envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami while Netanyahu pushes for renewed strikes.
Roman Gofman, the director of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, was in Washington on Friday for talks with senior Trump administration officials about the war with Iran, according to Axios, which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
The visit included a meeting with CIA director John Ratcliffe, Axios reported. Gofman was also expected to travel to Miami for talks with Steve Witkoff, the White House envoy. Mossad, the CIA and the White House declined to comment, according to the report.
Axios reported that the trip comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presses President Donald Trump to resume the war against Iran. Neither the Israeli prime minister's office nor the US administration has publicly confirmed the purpose of the visit.
Trump said on Thursday that he could use military force against Iran "right now" if US allies or ships were threatened. Asked in an interview with the Salem News Channel whether he would hesitate, he replied: "No hesitation. We're doing very well with it right now."
"But the answer is, if I saw things going the other way, I would do that, and it's possible I would do it right now," Trump added, according to the account carried by Yeni Safak.
The United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28. Tehran answered with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on targets in the Gulf region, where US military bases are located. Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which much of the Gulf's oil and gas is shipped.
A memorandum of understanding signed in June was meant to lead to a final peace agreement. The process collapsed amid disagreements that included navigation through the strait.
No resumption of strikes has been announced by either government.
How the reports differ
Yeni Safak, restating the Axios report, alone carried the detail that Gofman met CIA director John Ratcliffe, that he was expected in Miami for talks with Steve Witkoff, and that Mossad, the CIA and the White House all declined to comment. Yeni Safak alone also quoted Trump's Thursday interview with the Salem News Channel. Anadolu Agency and Yeni Safak flagged the account as a report in their headlines, while The New Arab and Truthout led instead with Netanyahu's push for strikes, Truthout describing the intelligence chief as "reportedly pushing Trump to renew Iran attacks".
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