The Prime Minister’s Office issued a press release today (Friday), in which it clarified that “Israel has adhered to its commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and its position on the nuclear agreement has not changed.” These remarks come in the wake of State Department spokesman Ned Price’s statement that the United States is interested in discussing with Iranian representatives as soon as possible with a view to moving towards a return to the nuclear deal.
The ministry added that “Israel believes that a return to the previous agreement will only pave the way for Iran to a nuclear arsenal. Israel is in continuous dialogue with the United States on this matter.”
As mentioned, according to the source, Biden’s aides warned Israel in advance of the significant announcements they made tonight, including the announcement that they had decided to lift the sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump’s administration on Iran. In addition, the administration lifted travel restrictions imposed by Trump on Iranian diplomats at the UN who prevented them from reaching its central headquarters in New York.
As is well known, in light of Joe Biden’s inauguration as President of the United States, the nuclear agreement with Iran, from which the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, emerged, has returned to be a major issue in the work of Israeli diplomacy. Joe Biden and his new administration are interested in returning to a nuclear deal, and this has provoked criticism from some of Israel’s decision-makers. In a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday about his first conversation with the US president, he wrote that he had talked to Biden on this issue as well.
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As mentioned, Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said in a speech at the INSS that “back to the nuclear agreement from 2015 and even if an improved agreement is reached it will be a bad agreement at the operational and strategic level, and therefore such an agreement should not be allowed.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkan also told NBC earlier this month that Iran is a few weeks away from sufficient armaments to develop nuclear weapons if we continue to restrain violations of the nuclear deal.