Israel open to German efforts to extend Iran nuclear deal

Jeremy Issacharoff, the country’s ambassador to Germany since 2017, said a recent call by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to reconsider the 2015 nuclear deal with the new US administration was “a step in the right direction” .

The 2015 nuclear treaty – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – gave Iran relief from sanctions as a reward for loopholes on its nuclear program.

Maas told Der Spiegel magazine this month that there was a need to rethink the current agreement, under intense pressure following a number of breakdowns from Iran and a one-head withdrawal. US President Donald Trump in 2018.

The “nuclear plus agreement” that Maas would block the development of nuclear weapons would be in addition to limiting space on Tehran’s ballistic rocket program and intervention in countries across the region.

Biden has indicated that Washington could return to the treaty as a starting point for ongoing negotiations if Iran returns to surrender.

At least 150 Democratic members of Congress in a letter Wednesday to Biden said they will support their efforts to get back to the nuclear deal.

But Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has refused to talk about reopening the treaty that was struck five years ago after marathon talks in the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

Issacharoff said the 5 + 1 partners called Iran’s so-called “destabilizing partnership” in countries including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq would be required in any further talks with Tehran.

“I think people need to understand that you can’t just turn the clock back to 2015,” he said.

“Missiles have been manufactured and tested and these issues need to be addressed in addition to the wholesale breaches by Iran against the entire JCPOA agreement.”

Issacharoff said he welcomed Germany’s more active involvement in Middle East diplomacy and the now strong “strategic partnership” that had developed in the 70 years since the Holocaust.

Expecting a major “tone” development between Germany and the US led by Biden, he said Israel would like to see more of a “triangular kind of strategic partnership” with both countries on security issues. Middle East “which I think would be very good for both sides”.

He said that Germany ‘s strong commitment to disregarding Nazi atrocities had allowed alliance with Israel to prosper since the countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1965.

Issacharoff met on “mobile” trips by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the memorial of the Holocaust Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and Auschwitz this year and joint military exercises in August between Israeli and German combat pilots.

“From defense issues to culture, people’s responsibilities to people, economy, cyber, intelligence – I can only see this as a growing and growing partnership as one, I would say this is perhaps the best partnership. clearly important to Israel in Europe but even in global terms. “

Issacharoff said that as relations between Israel and four Arab countries – Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan – normalize in treaties broken by the Donald Trump administration, Germany had also played a constructive role. .

Noting that Maas had held its first meeting between his Israeli and Emirati peers in October, Issacharoff described it as “a very important step for Germany and a very important sign of his commitment to the process. ”

He gave credit to Maas and in particular Chancellor Angela Merkel, who plans to retire from politics next year after 16 years in power, by fostering deep and trusting relations with Israel in spite of their sad shared history.

“It is important that she recognizes her remarkable contribution to the strength of the alliance,” he said, hoping that the commitment would “continue in German foreign policy”.

“I am encouraged and encouraged by how far two countries can go after such a difficult and close time. “