Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday held talks with the US national security adviser, reaffirming his country’s opposition to negotiations on reviving a 2015 agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
Jake Sullivan landed in Israel late Tuesday and met with President Isaac Herzog, who voiced "concern with Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons under the cover of the negotiations in Vienna", the president's office said.
Bennett also has called for the negotiations to be halted, accusing Iran of "nuclear blackmail”. He accused Iran— if it gained sanctions relief—from acquiring weapons to harm Israelis.
Negotiations to restore the deal known as the Joint Collective Plan of Action resumed in November.Washington was a party to the original agreement, but withdrew under president Donald Trump in 2018.
President Joe Biden's administration has warned it may soon be too late to revive the 2015 deal.
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday Iran’s stances during the latest round of negotiations had prompted President Joe Biden to prepare for a scenario where diplomacy fails.
“Because of the way that the Iranians approached and participated in the last round of talks, the President asked the national security team to be prepared in the event that diplomacy fails and to take a look at other options,” Psaki told reporters during a press briefing.
