Tensions grow between US and Israel over Iran deal

Suspicion is growing between Israel and the US as the Biden administration looks to rejoin the 2015 accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program, as international negotiations progress on restoring the accord, according to a report published on Wednesday.

Officials told Axios that National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat had raised Israeli worry with American officials that Israel’s concerns were not being given proper consideration as Washington is attempting to rejoin the deal.

Israeli officials said the Americans countered that Israel was not sufficiently heeding the administration’s request for “no surprises” from either side concerning Iran policy.

The report described growing frustration on both sides over feelings of lack of trust and insufficient transparency.

Despite the disagreements between the sides, an Israeli official told Israeli Walla news site that Israel was still holding out hope it could influence the US position.

“We don’t think everything is lost and as long as we have the opportunity to voice our stance, we are going to try in the hope that we’ll succeed,” the unnamed official said.

The comments came before Israeli security chiefs fly to Washington next week for high-level talks on Iran.

The unnamed official told Walla that next week’s face-to-face meetings would illustrate to Israel how large the gap is with the US concerning policy toward Iran.

According to Walla, they will meet on Thursday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to coordinate their discussions with their American counterparts.

Among the officials set to travel to the US are Ben-Shabbat, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, IOF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi and Military Intelligence commander Tamir Hayman.

The report came a day after Kan news said Israel was lobbying the US to push for improved international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, having concluded there will not be significant changes to the treaty but nonetheless seeking to slightly improve the terms of the pact.

As the efforts to restore the nuclear pact continued, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that 60-70 percent of issues had been resolved. A spokesman for the US State Department, however, said that while the talks were positive, “we have more road ahead of us than in the rearview mirror.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it will return to the nuclear deal if Iran first returns to compliance.