Israel will do ‘everything it can’ to sway Iran deal

With the resurrection of the Iran nuclear deal appearing to be imminent, Defence Minister Benny Gantz announced on Tuesday that he will travel to the United States for a series of meetings with American defence officials later this week.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gantz said that Israel was in touch with both the US and regional countries about the talks to restore the Iran nuclear deal, amid reports of recent progress in the negotiations.

“We will do everything we can to influence the agreement,” Gantz said during a faction meeting of his National Unity party.

Noting Israel won’t be a party to any agreement, he added that the Jewish state “will know how to maintain its freedom of action as needed”.

Shortly afterward, alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued what he described as a last-minute appeal to US President Joe Biden not to sign a renewed Iran nuclear deal.

“This agreement will send approximately a quarter of a trillion dollars to the Iranian terror administration’s pocket and to its regional proxies and will enable Iran to develop, install and operate centrifuges, with almost no restrictions, in a mere two years,” Bennett wrote on Twitter.

He said that previously, “even when it was very close”, Israel convinced the White House “not to give in to Iranian demand”, and expressed hope it will again do the same.

“One way or another, the State of Israel is not a party to the agreement. Israel is not committed to any of the restrictions stemming from the agreement and will utilise all available tools to prevent the Iranian nuclear program from advancing,” he added.

A US official said on Tuesday that Iran has “made concessions on critical issues” recently, sparking further speculation that a deal between Tehran and world powers is closer than ever. The official said Iran has agreed to drop demands to block some UN nuclear inspections.

Gantz is scheduled to fly to Florida on Thursday morning to meet with the chief of the US Central Command Michael Erik Kurilla at the command’s headquarters.

There he will receive a briefing on “the operative aspects of collaborations” between Israel and CENTCOM, his office said.

Gantz’s office said the defence minister would also meet US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Friday, before flying to Japan on Saturday night for an official trip.

National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata was also in Washington this week to conduct a series of meetings with US officials on Iran’s nuclear program and the deal.

Earlier on Tuesday, the anonymous US official revealed to the Reuters news agency that the Islamic Republic largely gave up its demand that the United States delist Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organisation, and backed away from its insistence that the International Atomic Energy Agency close its probe into unexplained traces of uranium at undeclared nuclear sites.

“They came back last week and basically dropped the main hang-ups to a deal,” the official said, adding that Iran had “crossed the Rubicon and moved toward possibly getting back into the deal on terms that President [Joe] Biden can accept”.

The official also denied Iran’s claims that a deal has become more possible due to concessions made by the Biden administration: “If we are closer today, it’s because Iran has moved. They conceded on issues that they have been holding onto from the beginning.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the Reuters report.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Monday vowed in a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron that Israel would do whatever it takes to head off a nuclear-armed Iran, as the EU said that a meeting to finalise an agreement with Tehran might take place this week.

Israel “will continue to do everything to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities”, Lapid said, according to a readout from his office.

Macron emphasised his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, according to the readout.

Efforts to revive the JCPOA – the 2015 agreement between world powers and Tehran aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions – are at a critical juncture.

TIMES OF ISRAEL, AGENCIES