Israel PM Netanyahu calls on US to pressure Iran in nuclear negotiations
Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between Israel and its closest ally, the United States. Israel's prime minister on Sunday called on the US to step up pressure on Iran, even as American officials hinted at the possibility of easing tough economic pressure.
Meanwhile, a leading Israeli newspaper reported the outlines of what could be construed in the West as genuine Iranian compromises in the talks.
The differing approaches could bode poorly for Israel, as talks between six global powers and Iran continue. Negotiators were upbeat following last week's talks in Geneva; the next round of negotiations is set to begin on 7 November.
The prime minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, believes Iran is trying to trick the West into easing economic sanctions while pushing forward its nuclear program. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes.
"I think that in this situation as long as we do not see actions instead of words, the international pressure must continue to be applied and even increased," Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. "The greater the pressure, the greater the chance that there will be a genuine dismantling of the Iranian military nuclear program."
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran a threat to its very survival, citing Iranian references to Israel's destruction. Netanyahu says pressure must be maintained until Iran halts all enrichment of uranium, a key step in producing a nuclear weapon; removes its stockpile of enriched uranium from the country; closes suspicious enrichment facilities and shutters a facility that could produce plutonium, another potential gateway to nuclear arms.
There are growing signs that any deal with Iran will fall short of such demands. Over the weekend, US officials said the White House was debating whether to offer Iran the chance to recoup billions of dollars in frozen assets if it scales back its nuclear program. The plan would stop short of lifting sanctions, but could nonetheless provide Iran some relief.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC, treasury secretary Jack Lew said it was "premature" to talk of easing sanctions. But he stopped short of endorsing the tough Israeli line and suggested the US would take a more incremental approach in response to concrete Iranian gestures.
Details from last week's talks in Geneva have remained tightly guarded, but short-range priorities have been made clear. The Israeli daily Haaretz on Sunday reported what it said were the key Iranian proposals last week. Citing an unidentified senior Israeli official who had been briefed by the Americans, the newspaper said Iran was ready to halt all enrichment of 20%, limit lower-level enrichment of 5% and scale back the number of centrifuges it is operating for enrichment. It also claimed that Iran expressed willingness to reduce the operations of its most controversial nuclear facilities, and perhaps open them to unannounced inspections.
Netanyahu's office declined comment on the report, though it confirmed the US has kept it updated on the nuclear talks.
The Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper said an "explosion" between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama appears to be inevitable. While Israeli officials are intrigued by the Iranian offer, it said "officials in the prime minister's inner circle harbor a deep concern … that the American president is going to be prepared to ease sanctions on Iran even before the talks have been completed."
Yoel Guzansky, an Israeli Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies and a former national security aide in the prime minister's office, said there would always be a gap between the US and Israel due to their different military capabilities and the level of threat they face. Guzansky said Israeli officials realize they will not get everything they seek, and are pressing a maximalist view in hopes of getting as many concessions out of Iran as possible.
"It appears that the Americans are interested in a scaled approach," he said. "Israel is very concerned about this and it has good reason to. It's afraid the deal will become a slippery slope."
However, Guzansky said Israel has little choice but to rely on the US. If there is a deal, it will all but rule out the possibility of unilateral Israeli military action, he said.
"Israel really only has one option," he said. "The chance it will act alone after the Americans make a deal is miniscule."