Britain Rejects Netanyahu Call for Tougher Stance on Iran

Spokesman: Britain will continue to support nuclear deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Thursday. The topic, as with most Netanyahu foreign visits, was Iran, as he pushed Johnson to scrap the P5+1 nuclear deal and impose a slew of new sanctions on the Iranians.

Israeli officials came out of the meeting saying they were “encouraged” by what they heard, though the indication is that Johnson flatly rejected the demand, and that there is no interest in taking such a stance.

Johnson’s spokesman said that the intention is for Britain to continue to support the P5+1 nuclear deal along with France and Germany. They stressed the need for a diplomatic solution.

France has been taking the lead in trying to salvage the deal among EU members, hosting top Iranian diplomats and offering various proposals. The US has so far blocked efforts at things like offering Iran a line of credit, and despite President Trump suggesting he’d like to talk with Iranian officials, US policy seems to still be to undercut diplomacy abroad.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.