This week’s visit to Washington by Defense Minister Benny Gantz signaled an escalation in the US approach toward negotiations with Iran. The administration, in fact, used Gantz’s visit as a threat tactic to warn Iran that its nuclear program would not be immune from attack forever. Although he knew he was being used, Gantz himself was very pleased in the evening hours of Dec. 9 when he ended his meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other top officials. As far as Israel was concerned, the visit had been successful.

Gantz landed in Washington on Dec. 8 at a dramatic moment in the Vienna talks between world powers and Iran, following a first, failed round and the efforts being made to resume them. While in Washington, Gantz was informed that the renewed meeting between the sides on Dec. 9 had also ended inconclusively. The Iranians, it seems, had not come to Vienna to give, only to receive. The real drama, however, was taking place in Washington where an unidentified top US official was telling Reuters ahead of Gantz’s arrival that the two defense chiefs “would discuss possible military exercises that would prepare for a worst-case scenario to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail.”

Reportedly, such explicit language has not been used by any top American official since the Biden administration took office on Jan. 20, not publicly and not behind closed doors. “They are starting to understand the situation,” a senior Israeli defense source told Al-Monitor (on condition of anonymity) with satisfaction following Gantz’s talks. “They understand that Iran is trying to make a laughingstock of the world; they understand that it is now or never. Exerting maximal pressure now is vital because once the Iranians reach 90% enrichment (military grade), this will all be a lost cause.”

The negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program have cast a dark shadow over Israel-US relations. The situation is complex. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was playing the “bad cop” in recent weeks, unambiguously expressing deep Israeli concerns, criticizing the world powers’ approach to Iran and to the negotiations, and threatening a military strike. The much more benevolent cops were Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who continue to avoid public airing of the deep disagreements with Washington.