Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who now serves as alternate prime minister, made a "last minute appeal" to U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday not to sign a possible new Iran nuclear deal.
"This agreement will send approximately a quarter of a trillion dollars to the Iranian terror administration's pocket and to its regional proxies, and will enable Iran to develop, install and operate centrifuges, with almost no restrictions, in a mere two years," Bennett said in a statement.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
(Photo: GPO, EPA, Alex Kolomoisky)
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Benny Gantz is also making the case against a renewal of the Iran nuclear deal, saying on Tuesday that Israel is in contact with the United States and regional countries over talks to restore the agreement, amid reports of progress recently in the negotiations.
"We will do everything we can to influence the agreement," Gantz told a party meeting.
"Israel will know how to maintain its freedom of action if necessary," he added, noting that the country would not be part of any agreement.
Gantz's office announced on Tuesday evening that he will be departing on Thursday for visits to the US and Japan. In the US, Gantz will hold a series of meetings at CENTCOM headquarters in Florida and meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington.
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World powers meet with Iranian officials in Vienna to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal
(Photo: Reuters)
Iran has asked for "some adjustments" to the proposed agreement submitted by the European Union to the participants in the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday.
In an interview with Spanish National Television, Borrell confirmed that "most" of the participants had accepted the Iranian demands, the content of which he did not reveal, and that only "the United States' response is missing."
The Iranian nuclear negotiations aim to save the international agreement concluded in 2015 with the Tehran regime by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, United States, France, United Kingdom and Russia) plus Germany, from which Washington withdrew in 2018 under president Donald Trump.