A meeting between the U.S. and Iranian presidents is just about a done deal. That is the growing conclusion in Israel’s security establishment after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Asper in London Thursday. As always, one caveat must be added: This summit will happen unless the less predictable member of the pair, Donald Trump, changes his mind at the last minute.
Tehran and Washington are actually stepping up their mutual hawkish rhetoric. Iran announced Friday, as planned, additional violations of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The U.S. keeps piling new sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah, and Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, lashed out at Tehran last week. And still, a presumption is taking shape that after these mutual recriminations, the sides are gradually growing ready for a meeting, possibly on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York at the end of the month.