Pentagon Declines to Say If US, Israel Mull Training for Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Friday declined to say whether the United States and Israel are mulling drills to prepare for possible strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"I'm not going to get into specific training scenarios and I have no additional or more specific training events or exercises to speak to today," Kirby said when asked if the United States agreed to hold joint military exercises with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.

Kirby added that the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz discussed military readiness against Iran during a meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Earlier this week, media reported that Israeli and US officials have been discussing plans for potential military drills to prepare for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in case diplomatic tools do not work to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

In May 2018, the United States withdrew from the JCPOA aimed at scaling back Iran's nuclear program and signed by the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union, and enacted hardline policies against Tehran.

Iran largely abandoned its own obligations under the accord, too, after the US withdrawal. The seventh round of talks to revive the deal began in late November.