Israel PM Naftali Bennett sceptical, not opposed to 'good' nuke deal with Iran

Naftali Bennett, Israel's prime minister, said Tuesday that while he is not opposed to a 'good nuclear' deal between Iran and international powers, he is sceptical that such a deal will emerge from the current talks. Bennett also refuted assertions made by former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he had agreed to a policy of no surprises with Washington, implying that the US would be open about its military plans toward Iran with its most important ally and therefore be hampered.

Bennett told Israeli Army Radio that Israel will always maintain its freedom to act and defend itself independently. Bennett's remarks came a day after Iran's nuclear negotiators and five Western powers resumed negotiations in Vienna on reviving the shattered 2015 nuclear deal. He stressed that Israel was not bound by any agreement, giving them military leeway.

In recent weeks, European nations, Russia, and China have resumed discussions with Iran, which Israel has watched with anxiety. In the negotiations, Tehran has maintained a tough position, implying that everything discussed in earlier rounds of diplomacy may be renegotiated and demanding sanctions relief even as it steps up its nuclear programme.

Bennett urged negotiators to be more aggressive in their approach to Iran

Bennett has urged negotiators to be more aggressive in their approach to Iran. Israel is not a party to the talks, but it has conducted a diplomatic blitz on the sidelines in a bid to persuade allies to increase pressure on Iran to curtail its nuclear programme. Iran was granted sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme as part of a landmark 2015 agreement. However, in 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled America out of the agreement and reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran. The agreement's other members have fought to keep it alive.

The eighth round of talks in Vienna began on Monday, ten days after they were postponed to allow the Iranian negotiator to return home for deliberations. Tensions over new Iranian demands highlighted the last round, the first after a more than five-month break caused by the installation of a new hard-line government in Iran.

Iran claims that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. Israel considers Iran to be its most dangerous adversary, and it was a vocal opponent of the 2015 nuclear deal. It says it wants a better deal that tightens sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme and addresses Iran's long-range missile development and support for hostile proxies near Israel's borders. Israel also claims that the talks must be accompanied by a realistic military threat in order for Iran to not procrastinate indefinitely.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP