US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that his country has "tactical differences" with Israel on Iran.
He declared that Washington, however, has no strategic disagreement with Jerusalem about the Islamic regime of Iran, Reuters reported.
Price also said that “a small number of outstanding issues” remain in nuclear talks with Iran, adding that it is in the hands of Tehran to make those decisions.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides told Channel 12 News in an interview on Thursday that if a nuclear deal is reached with Iran, “the Israelis’ hands are not tied. If we don’t have a deal, Israel’s hands are certainly not tied.”
He stressed that “Israel can do and take whatever actions they need to take to protect the State of Israel.”
Negotiations are ongoing to revive a 2015 agreement that would see Tehran give up its ambitions to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for the removal of US sanctions on its economy.
A deal would also return Iranian crude oil to global energy markets in the months ahead, helping to offset market turmoil and price spikes in the wake of wide-ranging sanctions on the Russian economy following the invasion of Ukraine.
