Washington is considering various scenarios for the development of the situation over the Iranian missile program. And if diplomatic efforts fail, the US does not rule out supporting Israeli military action, CBS News reports.

US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Florida in December that he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program if a deal between Washington and Tehran could not be reached, according to two sources familiar with the matter. 

Two months later, CBS News has learned that internal discussions between senior figures in the US military and intelligence community have started to contemplate the possibility of supporting a fresh round of Israeli strikes on Iran. American deliberations have focused less on whether Israel could act than on how the United States might assist, including the provision of aerial refueling for Israeli aircraft and the delicate matter of securing overflight permission from countries along the potential route, said two other US officials with knowledge of the matter. 

It's not clear what countries would grant overflight permission for the US to refuel Israeli aircraft for a potential strike. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all publicly said they would not allow their airspace to be used for any strikes on Iran or Iranian strikes on any other country. 

But the ongoing conversations inside the national security apparatus coincided with a visible show of force from the United States towards Iran. In particular, a second US aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford and its flotilla of warships, would be dispatched to the Middle East, joining an already substantial American presence.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu remains openly skeptical of diplomacy with Iran and flew to Washington last Wednesday for talks with President Trump. Netanyahu released multiple statements insisting that any Iran accord include restrictions on ballistic missiles and funding of proxies in the region.