KOENIG

Iran is storing centrifuges at Pickaxe Mountain, a senior Israeli diplomatic source said Wednesday.

Israel does not believe Iran’s nuclear program has been completely destroyed, the source told reporters who accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday.

“The goal is how to bring the nuclear program to an end,” the source said, adding that Israel had targeted nuclear scientists, enrichment facilities, centrifuges, and other infrastructure, successfully setting the program back, “but not forever.”

Speaking with journalists after the Trump-Netanyahu meeting, a senior Israeli diplomatic source reveals new details from the talks. "Iran dominated the talks," the source said. "Trump is weighing three options: a nuclear deal, maintaining and intensifying the economic blockade, or renewed military strikes."

Despite the options, Netanyahu did not tell Trump that Israel's preference is a strike, stating, "our preference is the outcome. The decision is ultimately his."

Right now, Iran is under severe economic pressure, with the source citing fuel and diesel shortages, inflation of around 90%, and the beginning of public protests. Israel is now looking to increase the pressure on Iran to amplify these issues, "both economically and kinetically."

July 29 (Reuters) - Iran is expected to receive within weeks a first shipment out of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers, three sources familiar with the deal told Reuters, as it rebuilds its defences amid war with the United States.

The purchase, valued at $60-70 million, ‌is one of Tehran's largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of its war with the U.S. and Israel, which exposed gaps in ‌Iran's ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure.

The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, the sources said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday for his first in-person talks with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began in February, and later described their meeting as “excellent” and “one of the best we’ve ever had.” The White House succinctly called the talks productive and positive.

The meeting took place behind closed doors in the Oval Office, with reporters not invited in and without a press conference afterwards.

Netanyahu entered the White House through a side entrance that was only partially visible to reporters, and left without fanfare some 90 minutes later. Held in the Oval Office with the leaders’ respective delegations, it was the eighth meeting between the leaders since Trump’s return to office in early 2025.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

It is their eighth sit-down of Trump’s second term, but their first since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February.

Netanyahu enters the White House through a side entrance that is only partially visible to reporters.

US President Trump said he halted the planned expansion of US military strikes against Iran to allow diplomatic efforts to continue, while warning that military action remains an option if negotiations fail.

Speaking to Axios, Trump said discussions are focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving broader negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Asked how long he was willing to give diplomacy, Trump replied: "Not much time. Either it moves forward quickly, or not at all."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday afternoon ahead of a White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, his office said.

The prime minister was initially expected to fly out around 11 a.m. Israel time, but his departure was delayed. Wing of Zion, Israel’s official state aircraft, took off around 1 p.m. from the Nevatim Air Force Base near Beersheva, the Kan Newspublic broadcaster reported.

“I am on my way to Washington for a meeting with our friend, President Donald Trump,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “This is my eighth meeting with him since he was elected president for his second term—more than any other world leader.

After the United States refrained from striking Iran overnight Friday-Saturday for the first day in two weeks, Hebrew media reported Saturday that Jerusalem had been prepared for a major escalation in the war over the weekend, which never came. Despite the pause, Israeli leaders still estimate that US President Donald Trump would soon be compelled to step up military action, the reports said.

After the quiet night in Iran, there were also no reports on Saturday of attacks by Iran on its Gulf neighbors, which have been taking place daily as well.

Trump personally ordered the US military not to strike Iran on Friday and Saturday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the directive.

US special operations forces were preparing for a possible mission to seize enriched uranium from Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities, the New York Post reported, citing a source familiar with military planning and US security experts.

The operation could involve thousands of troops securing nuclear sites, clearing damaged or booby-trapped entrances and establishing protected routes to an airfield. A smaller team of special operators would then enter the facilities and remove the nuclear material, according to the report.

Joseph Rodgers, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post that a military operation could become the most likely option if negotiations failed to produce an agreement on Iran’s uranium stockpile. He described any such mission as exceptionally complex and dangerous.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to Washington, D.C., on July 27 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump for an official visit that will include a White House meeting and attendance at the funeral of the late senator Lindsey Graham, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.

According to Axios, Netanyahu has met with Trump in the Oval Office six times since the U.S. president returned to office, more than any other world leader.

The visit comes amid continued strategic coordination between Jerusalem and Washington following recent tensions with Iran and as the two allies discuss broader regional issues. Axios reported that the meeting had been under discussion for several days before being finalized.

US President Donald Trump is close to making a decision on whether to launch a new major combat operation against Iran, he told Axios on Thursday.

"I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it," he said.

Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, say four people familiar with US intelligence.

These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters, say US intelligence officials have not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cite the strikes’ effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia’s broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence.

Reuters and other media have reported — and US officials have acknowledged — that Russia has provided targeting and other support for Iran in its strikes on US targets in the Gulf region generally, but the intelligence community’s investigation of possible Russian involvement in supporting the CIA facility attacks has not been previously disclosed.

American forces carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Tuesday, targeting military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure, U.S. Central Command said.

The strikes were intended to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to CENTCOM.

The military said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway over the past three months, endangering “hundreds of innocent mariners” and undermining freedom of navigation.