Israeli officials are expected to arrive in the US early next week for high-level talks about Iran. President Donald Trump has made several threats to Iran in recent days and the Pentagon is developing war plans for the Islamic Republic.

According to Axios, the first meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group (SCG) since Trump took office is planned for next week. “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team think the odds of a deal are low, and want to align on a joint course of action should things escalate to military force,” an Israeli official told the outlet.

Trump has recently issued multiple threats toward Iran, most recently accusing the country of backing Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis. He warned that if Yemeni attacks on shipping in the Red Sea did not cease, he would strike Iran.

Additionally, Trump sent Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a letter stating that if a new agreement between Washington and Tehran were not reached in two months, “the chances of US or Israeli military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities would dramatically increase.”

An unnamed former US military officer told journalist Ken Klippenstein that the Pentagon was now “reintroducing nuclear deterrence” for Iran. “One might find it extraordinary to think that nuclear weapons are even considered, but we have entered a new era,” said the retired senior officer, who was briefed on the planning.

The official explained that the new policy stretches back to the Biden administration.

Klippenstein additionally reviewed Pentagon documents showing new war plans for Iran, including a wide array of operations from covert action, cyberattacks to nuclear weapons.

The SCG was formed in 2009 to be a forum for high-level US-Israeli talks on Iran’s nuclear program. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – the UN’s nuclear watchdog – and the US intelligence community have continued to reaffirm that Tehran is not developing nuclear weapons, Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly claimed Iran is on the brink of building the bomb.

During Joe Biden’s presidency, the scope of the forum was expanded to include talks on the war in Lebanon. According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials visiting the US next week plan to discuss “the Iranian nuclear program, the possibility of US-Iran talks, the war in Lebanon, and upcoming talks between Israel and Lebanon on establishing an internationally recognized border between the enemy countries.”

The outlet noted that the Israeli officials did not put Gaza talks on the agenda. However, US officials speaking with Axios said Washington expects the issue to be discussed.

The Israeli delegation will be led by a Netanyahu ally, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The Americans will be represented by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

Dermer recently lashed out at US hostage envoy Adam Boehler after he engaged in direct talks with Hamas officials in an effort to secure the release of the last living Israeli-American hostage in Gaza. Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth said that “Boehler was stunned by Dermer’s insolence and spoke about that in conversations with other people.”

The call was also reported to have irked Netanyahu, who decided not to publicly attack Trump on the matter. A Western official told the Times of Israel that Tel Aviv is concerned that if the last American hostage is freed by Hamas, Trump may lose interest in supporting Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.