Mossad chief Roman Gofman is visiting Washington for talks with senior US officials as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intensifies efforts to persuade US President Donald Trump to resume military aggression against Iran, according to a report by Axios citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Gofman, a close confidant of Netanyahu, is scheduled to meet CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Friday and is also expected to travel to Miami for talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, the report said.

The visit comes amid growing pressure from the Israeli leadership to reignite the conflict with Iran, despite Trump's apparent preference for maintaining economic and naval pressure on Tehran while leaving the door open to a diplomatic agreement.

The CIA, Mossad and White House declined to comment on the reported meetings.

Netanyahu seeks renewed confrontation as Trump holds back

Trump has so far resisted Netanyahu's calls to resume the war against Iran. The two leaders discussed the issue during a November 5 phone call, according to a US official cited by Axios.

Rather than launching another military campaign, Washington has coordinated with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to maintain naval and economic pressure on Iran in an effort to force Tehran into making concessions.

Iran, however, has maintained that it will not compromise on its military and naval capabilities, stressing that Washington must first meet seven prerequisite conditions before formal negotiations can begin.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump claimed he could end the conflict immediately but said he was extending the current approach at the request of regional allies.

"I could end it immediately. At the request of the nations that I'm looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a little bit more civilly," he said.

Trump further claimed that Saudi Arabia wanted the current pressure campaign to continue because Iran was "disintegrating," adding that Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain also preferred to maintain the existing approach.

Tehran has continued to reject pressure tactics and military threats, maintaining its position that negotiations cannot be conducted under coercion.

Netanyahu's political crisis raises concerns over another war

Gofman's Washington visit also comes amid political uncertainty in "Israel" following the October 27 election, in which Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority.

Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has reportedly received a mandate to form a new government, although it remains uncertain whether he can secure sufficient parliamentary support.

According to sources cited by Axios, opposition figures fear Netanyahu could attempt to trigger another confrontation with Iran or provoke an Iranian response to derail Eisenkot's efforts to form a government.

Such a scenario could help Netanyahu retain political influence, while Eisenkot's successful formation of a government would bring an end to Netanyahu's tenure as prime minister.

Netanyahu met Eisenkot on Thursday for a two-hour briefing on developments concerning Iran. However, a source close to the opposition leader said Eisenkot did not consider the current situation to warrant immediate military action.

In a statement on Friday, Eisenkot confirmed the meeting with Netanyahu and his military secretary, stressing that the outgoing prime minister would not be allowed to take unilateral military action without proper oversight during the government transition.

"For me, Israel's security takes precedence over every other consideration and must never be used as a means of political capital. This is also what I expect of all officeholders," Eisenkot said.

The reported diplomatic activity highlights growing concerns that Netanyahu could seek to drag the United States into another military confrontation with Iran, even as Washington weighs the costs of renewed escalation and Tehran maintains its opposition to negotiations under military and economic coercion. (ILKHA)