The United States warned Israel that attacks against Iran's nuclear targets, allegedly carried out by Israelis, have been "counterproductive," the New York Times reported on Monday.
Quoting sources in the U.S. and in Israel, the paper reported the officials told Israel that actions against Iran has allowed the Islamic Republic to regroup and improve its uranium enrichment capabilities, positioning them only weeks away from a nuclear bomb.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, advanced Iranian centrifuges, U.S. President Joe Biden
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The report said Israel's operations against the Iranian nuclear program so far have been "tactically satisfying,” but “ultimately counterproductive,” the U.S. officials told their Israeli counterparts, according to the report.
Israel rejected the American position, the paper said.
The officials told the NY Times that Iran increased and improved its security in its nuclear sites and attacks - such as the one attributed to Israel on the Natanz uranium enrichment plant - were no longer possible.
Talks with Iran on the possible U.S. return to the 2015 nuclear deal are set to begin in Vienna later this month.
Sources in Washington told the publication, that some in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden believed that lifting some sanctions imposed on Iran, in exchange for Tehran slowing down its efforts to stockpile military grade uranium, would be more effective in slowing down Iran's nuclear progra than further sanctions could be.
Israel opposes the U.S. return to the deal and has said it maintains its options to act against Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
First published: 08:08, 11.22.21