Posted on 06/18/23
| News Source: JPost
The key objective of the impending nuclear deal between the US and Iran is to stop Israel from attacking Iran, a Western official told Reuters.
"If [the] Iranians miscalculate, the potential for a strong Israeli response is something that we want to avoid," the official said.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that any deal between Washington and Tehran will not stop Jerusalem from taking steps against the threat of a nuclear Iran.
“Our stance is clear: No agreement with Iran will oblige Israel,” Netanyahu said in the Knesset last week. “Israel will continue to do everything to defend itself.”
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein said on Saturday night that "Israel can live with the 'mini-agreement' because there is oversight."
"Iran is a nuclear threshold state and is becoming soundly established as such," Edelstein said.
He warned that "Iran is gaining abilities [and] Ukraine became an excellent platform for testing them...We need to keep an eye on this."
The US and Iran negotiated the expected deal in recent weeks via Oman, after talks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement failed last year. The new agreement, which is expected to be a series of unwritten understandings, would have the US provide sanctions relief in exchange for Iran limiting its nuclear program.
It would have Iran halt its uranium enrichment at 60% purity, far beyond the 3.67% permitted in 2015, but below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon. The US warned in the talks that it would exact a heavy price from Iran if it enriches to 90%.