Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged US President Joe Biden not to return to the 2015 JCPOA Iran nuclear deal on their Sunday phone call, saying: "Nothing will happen if you don't sign the deal with Iran," a diplomatic source confirmed on Thursday.
Bennett has remained consistent on Israel's stance: Iran's return to the deal, currently in its eighth round of talks, makes it harder to keep Iran from going nuclear, not easier.
On Monday, Bennett said that Biden had accepted Israel's freedom to act independently of whatever deal is reached among world powers. However, "freedom of action" was not mentioned in the context of Iran in the White House readout of the latest call.
“The leaders discussed regional challenges, foremost of which is growing Iranian aggression and steps to restrain the Iranian nuclear program,” the Prime Minister’s Office said after the call.
Earlier on Sunday, Bennett told the cabinet he was closely following the negotiations with Iran in Vienna to return to the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. Biden has promised to return to that deal.
“The agreement and what appears to be its conditions will damage the ability to take on the nuclear program,” Bennett said.
“Whoever thinks an agreement will increase stability is wrong,” he added. “It will temporarily delay enrichment, but all of us in the region will pay a heavy, disproportionate price for it.”
