Iran accuses Israel of trying to ‘undermine’ nuclear talks with US
Iran on Monday accused Israel of attempting to “undermine” its ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States, a major source of tension with Western nations.
“A kind of coalition is forming… to undermine and disrupt the diplomatic process,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters, saying Israel was behind the effort, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
“Alongside it are a series of warmongering currents in the United States and figures from different factions,” the spokesman added.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that US President Donald Trump had dissuaded Israel from striking Iran’s nuclear sites in the near term, instead pushing for a diplomatic approach to deal with the issue.
Iran and the US have held two rounds of talks, the first in Oman two weeks ago and the second in Rome last Saturday. A third round is set for this coming Saturday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, and has been vocally opposed to any talks that don’t lead Iran to agree to a “a Libya-style agreement,” under which Tehran’s entire nuclear program, both military and civilian, would be dismantled completely.
However, this position does not appear to align with that of the US administration.
In a Fox News interview last week, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff appeared to indicate that the US was looking to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment rather than dismantle its nuclear program altogether. “Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
Israel has not made any official statements on its position on the US-Iran talks, but if the talks don’t fall apart on their own, it may look to more hawkish US officials like National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to push Trump to use the leverage he has created to compel Iran into a far stricter deal than it wants.
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