Trump, Israel PM Netanyahu discussed threat from Iran and other issues

The White House said in a brief statement that President of United States Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the threat from Iran and other issues on December 1. The relations between the US and Iran have worsened over the past years since Trump decided to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal with other world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country. The discussions between both the leaders have not yet been disclosed, however, it comes after Netanyahu along with the Israeli Foreign Ministry criticised six European countries as they joined INSTEX which is a barter mechanism designed to pass the American sanctions by avoiding the use of the dollar. 

The White House said, "The leaders discussed the threat from Iran, as well as other critical bilateral and regional issues”.

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Israel criticises European countries 

Netanyahu expressed his disagreement with European countries sidestepping sanctions on Iran by their 'rush to appease'. Not only that, the Prime Minister of Israel scolded the members of INSTEX and said that they encourage the Iranian regime of repression of its citizens and 'should be ashamed of themselves'. Netanyahu also pointed out to the anti-government protests in the country and said that the Iranian regime is 'killing its own people' and the European countries 'rush to support that very murderous regime'. 

Moreover, in a separate statement, the foreign ministry of Israel said, “Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden could not have picked worse timing. The hundreds of innocent Iranians murdered during the latest round of protests are rolling in their graves.” 

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Iran disputed death tolls 

Iran disputed death tolls issued abroad for the bloodshed that erupted during protests in the country over fuel prices after a rights group said over 160 demonstrators were killed. The demonstrations flared in mid-November after the price of petrol in the Islamic republic went up overnight by as much as 200 per cent. Officials in Iran have yet to say how many people died in the ensuing violence that saw banks, petrol pumps and police stations set on fire. London-based human rights group Amnesty International said in a tweet on Friday that the crackdown claimed the lives of 161 demonstrators. Prior to its latest tweet, Amnesty International said on Monday that 143 demonstrators had been killed in the crackdown, citing what it called "credible reports". The governments of the United States, France and Germany have condemned Iran over the bloodshed. 

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(With inputs from agencies)