According to the US ambassador to Israel, Tel Aviv will not be bound by any Iranian nuclear agreement
Washington’s ambassador to Israel has said that a renewed nuclear pact with Iran will not bar the Jewish State from taking action to “protect”Negotiators are trying to revive 2015 JCPOA between Tehran and the world powers.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 for an interview on Thursday, Ambassador Tom Nides assured that the United States does not expect Tel Aviv to “sit quietly and not do anything”Should a final agreement be reached with Iran.
“We’ve been very clear about this. If we have a deal, the Israelis’ hands are not tied. If we don’t have a deal, the Israelis’ hands are certainly not tied,”According to the envoy, it was not clear if an agreement has been reached. “Israel can do and take whatever actions they need to take to protect the state of Israel.”
Nides said that President Joe Biden does what Nides suggested “whatever he can to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon”You can use “a diplomatic channel,”He appeared to have tacitly approved of Israeli military action against Iran, despite an existing agreement to limit its nuclear program.
Iran insists its nuclear facilities have no military dimension and are solely used for power and medical purposes, claims repeatedly confirmed by the UN’s nuclear watchdog before Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018. After imposing all previous sanctions against Tehran in the past, as well as some others, Iran has relaxed its obligations under the deal. This includes limiting its enrichment of Uranium.
According to the US diplomat, Israel was kept informed about ongoing talks on nuclear weapons. Tel Aviv is aware of this. “exactly what is going on,”Even though officials sometimes are dissatisfied by the direction of the negotiation.
An American terrorism designation for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military unit, remains a major sticking point between the two sides. Nides refused to answer whether or not it would be taking the group off its terror blacklist. However, there are reports suggesting that the agency is looking into this possibility.
During a press conference last weekend with Antony Blinken, the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet urged against this decision. He cited concerns about the IRGC in his plea for a boycott.
At the press conference, America’s top diplomat declared “there is no daylight”The US’s and Israel’s stances on Iran being nuclear-armed, agreeing to that “deal or no deal,”Both sides could agree to it. “continue to work together… to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the region.”
Tel Aviv, which has accused Iran for working towards a nuclear weapons since more than twenty years, is a long-standing opponent to the JCPOA. Former PM Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the pact as a dangerous form of appeasement, insisting the deal’s sunset clauses for nuclear restrictions would eventually allow Iran to obtain a bomb. Bennett has also called the deal a “deal”. “Band-Aid solution”That would be a lasting legacy. “for just a few years,”It was also suggested that Israel could be forced to pay for an empowered Tehran when the JCPOA ends.
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