Reiterating his demand for the West not to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Yair Lapid on Thursday met with Mossad Director David Barnea to underscore that Israel “will act in every way to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state.”
During a meeting on “the dangers involved in a return to the nuclear agreement,” Barnea, too, stated that Israel “is permitted to defend itself in any way possible and will act this way,” as it “has not signed on to the deal.” “We cannot sit quietly and just watch as the danger grows closer,” he declared.
אנחנו נפעל בכל דרך כדי למנוע מאיראן להפוך למדינה גרעינית. קיימתי היום תדרוך מודיעין עם ראש המוסד דוד ברנע, שעסק בעדכון אודות הסוגיות הביטחוניות השוטפות שעל הפרק ובראשן הסכם הגרעין עם איראן. pic.twitter.com/FYguezEmAg
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 25, 2022
Barnea also remarked that the United States (US) “is rushing into an accord that is a lie,” “very bad for Israel,” and “a strategic disaster” because Iran would still have the “long-term desire” to acquire a nuclear bomb. Acknowledging that a deal appears imminent “in light of the needs of the US and Iran,” he noted that it “gives Iran license to amass the required nuclear material for a bomb” and billions of dollars in currently frozen funds to “undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terror around the globe” through its proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad.
Along the same lines, in an interview with Al Arabiya TV, former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu raised concerns that Iran may become the second country ever to use nuclear weapons. Calling the deal a “bad mistake,” he argued that “Iran is getting a highway paved with gold to a nuclear arsenal and they make no secret of their attempts to destroy us. Conquer the Middle East.”
The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, on the Iran deal:
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) August 25, 2022
“Israel has not signed on to the deal. Israel is permitted to defend itself in any way possible – and will act this way. We cannot sit quietly and just watch as the danger grows closer".
Biden is betraying Israel.
Netanyahu went on to condemn the Biden administration for returning to “an even more dangerous deal,” which is “not only bad for our countries, it’s bad for America.” “Maybe they think there is short-term gain. But to have this dangerous regime have ICBMs (Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles) — which Iran is working on with nuclear-tipped warheads that can reach any American city — is the height of folly,” he asserted.
Though Netanyahu acknowledged that the US is an “indispensable ally,” he declared that Israel will not “subject our future and our existence to a mistaken policy.” In fact, he stated that if he became Israel’s PM again in the upcoming November election, he “will return to the policy of actively blocking Iran’s nuclear weapons program.” “That has to be stopped and I will do whatever is necessary… when the need arises. And unfortunately, the need is approaching,” he confirmed.
אני מתחייב:
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) August 24, 2022
עם הסכם או בלעדיו - אני אעשה הכל כדי למנוע מאיראן נשק גרעיני. pic.twitter.com/rfOOQbH5ty
Another former PM, Naftali Bennett, also called on the US to not sign the deal “even now at this last minute,” claiming that it would send “approximately a quarter of a trillion dollars to the Iranian terror administration’s pocket and to its regional proxies.”
These statements come against the backdrop of Iran “carefully reviewing” the European Union’s (EU) “final text” to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which signals the end of over a year of talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna. EU officials have said the text is a “take it or leave it” offer as it addresses the concerns of all sides and “it will not be renegotiated.”
In this respect, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell emphasised, “What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text.”
Former PM Netanyahu speaks out against the dangerous Iran nuclear deal, representing a consistent view expressed across the Israeli political spectrum and held by leaders from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi: this deal is a “golden-paved highway toward a nuclear arsenal.” pic.twitter.com/c5IaZSoh1u
— The Israel Files (@theisraelfiles) August 24, 2022
However, incumbent PM Lapid said despite the EU making Iran a “final offer” to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, it appears that Brussels is willing to make further concessions to get Iran to rejoin the JCPOA. “This is not the first time this has happened. The countries of the West draw a red line, the Iranians ignore it, and the red line moves,” he noted.
He added that the deal “endangers the independence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) [and] creates huge political pressure on them to close open cases without completing a professional investigation.” Lapid cited IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s recent comments that Iran has no credible explanation for uranium traces found at several laboratories.
In this respect, Iran recently demanded that the IAEA drop its investigation into unexplained uranium traces found at nuclear sites across the country before a deal is reached. “We don’t expect the director general of the agency [Grossi] to utter sentences that are wanted by the Zionist regime [Israel],” Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami asserted.
Though a US official claimed earlier this week that Iran has dropped this demand, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran will not allow the IAEA to conduct investigations on “baseless accusations.”
Scoop: U.S. toughened positions in Iran deal response, Israeli officials say. The talks the Israeli national security adviser had at the White House earlier this week reduced the anxiety in Jerusalem about more U.S. concessions. My story on @axioshttps://t.co/9Zjr51OsXx
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 25, 2022
Keeping the IAEA’s misgivings in mind, PM Lapid asked, “How is it possible to sign a deal with Iran when this is what the body responsible for supervising a deal says?” He also noted that once the deal is signed Iranian banking sector would be removed from US sanctions, which would allow Tehran to easily launder money. “In our eyes, it does not meet the standards set by President Biden himself: preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state,” he emphasised.
At the same time, following a meeting between Israeli National Security Adviser (NSA) Eyal Hulata and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan on Tuesday, Lapid told his liberal Yesh Atid party in a meeting on Thursday that the “Americans accepted many changes that we wanted.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Michael “Erik” Kurilla in Florida to discuss “security issues of mutual interest.” No other details were provided.
One of Israel’s main concerns is whether the US would agree with Iran to shut down the IAEA investigation, to which National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby revealed that “our position on that is not going to change.” “We have communicated to Iran, both in public and private, that it must answer the IAEA questions. It’s the only way to address those concerns,” Kirby added.
🔴 Mossad chief says Israel is not part Iran nuclear deal, has a right to defend itself 'any way possible'
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 25, 2022
'The time to break into the bomb will be postponed from a month to two or three. We continue to act, Israel is not a party to the agreement'
Israel has for years warned that Iran is building a nuclear weapon and could launch airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent a nuclear Iran. Israel views a nuclear Iran as an existential threat due to threats by Iranian leaders to “annihilate” Israel. Israel has also opposed the JCPOA and lobbied the West against reviving the deal, arguing that it would allow Iran more time to accelerate its nuclear programme.
The Vienna talks, which began in April last year, have not been able to produce a deal despite several rounds of negotiations. Furthermore, differences between the US and Iran are yet to be resolved with both sides accusing each other of taking steps to stymie talks. While Iran has called on the US to remove all sanctions, the US has blamed Iran for taking steps to accelerate its nuclear programme.
The IAEA has also reported that Iran has been enriching uranium to 60% fissile purity, closer to the weapons-grade level of 90% when the 2015 deal stated that Tehran could only enrich uranium up to 3.67% for the next 15 years. Furthermore, Tehran has been restricting IAEA officials from accessing its nuclear facilities, which is another violation of the JCPOA.
In June, Tehran suspended all contact with negotiators and the IAEA after the agency passed a resolution censuring Tehran for not cooperating with the organisation and hiding its nuclear activities. In response to the resolution, Iran shut down 27 IAEA surveillance cameras across nuclear sites.