According to a report from Israeli TV, Israeli officials have accepted that there will be no significant changes to the Iran nuclear deal, so they are narrowing their demands of Washington.
The report said Israel is now pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have more powers in Iran. Israel’s Mossad chief Yossi Cohan, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi are expected to travel to Washington next week to lobby US officials to seek stricter IAEA inspections.
Iran has been clear that they are not willing to negotiate any stricter agreements before the US lifts sanctions and returns to the JCPOA. And considering the deal already makes Iran subject to the most stringent nuclear inspections in the world, there are not many concessions Tehran could make when it comes to the IAEA’s power in the country.
But the fact that Israel is only making this demand is a significant change from its original position. Israeli officials have been outspoken in their opposition to a restoration of the JCPOA and frequently call for a stricter deal that covers Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for groups in the Middle East, and an agreement that doesn’t have an expiration date.
Israel has been expressing its opposition to the JCPOA through covert attacks on Iran. The latest incident attributed to Israel was an explosion at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which led the Iranians to increase some uranium enrichment to 60 percent. The Natanz attack is seen as an effort to sabotage the indirect US-Iran talks that have been ongoing in Vienna.
While the US is signaling there is still a long way to go to revive the JCPOA, Iranian officials have positive things to say about the negotiations. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the issues are about “60 to 70 percent” resolved and that a deal could be reached in “little time.”
“The report said Israel is now pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have more powers in Iran.”
Sounds good. Lets include the entire ME.
They probably want their spies to be able to suss out Iranian military defenses. As was done with UNSCOM in Iraq.
As it appears US will miss Iran’s warning of 90 days for the IAEA additional voluntary inspection protocol….! Expect expelling some or all of the inspectors after that deadline…!
No doubt. I was just suggesting that Israel’s nuke sites should be open to those same “more powers in Iran”.
“The report said Israel is now pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have more powers in Iran.”
Sounds good. Lets include the entire ME.
“Israel’s Mossad chief Yossi Cohan, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi are expected to travel to Washington next week to lobby US officials to seek stricter IAEA inspections.” Not enough hawks…! Anyone else want to come to Washington to bargain…!
I’ll bet Iran would trade: IAEA can have all powers in Iran that it gets in Israel over the Israeli nuclear program. How about that? The US could demand it. The rest of the Deal powers would be pleased.
No, Iran is not going to haul off and attack Israel, either in Syria or Israel proper. The government in Tehran is many things, but stupid is not one of them.
What Israel is attempting to do is create a false flag, to be blamed on Iran, as the justification for attacking it, and bringing it the US in on its side, militarily. And unfortunately, Netanyahu’s ventriloquist dummy, has just made it very painfully clear this morning, that the US’s withdrawal from the P5+1, and the sanctions which will ensue, are the US government’s prelude to a war against Iran.
Just because something isn’t the most ham-fistedly, pig-headedly stupid thing the US government could do is no guarantee that it will not do it, and the US withdrawing from the P5+1 deal is no exception to this very dark reality. He is making claims about Iran’s actions and capacities which bear absolutely no basis in reality.
The IAEA, which is staffed by amazingly bright people, has looked at the suspected facility and said that there is no “there” there. And if that is what the IAEA is telling the world, I would very much tend to believe them. What Netanyahu and Trump are doing is tantamount to calling members of the IAEA, in their inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, idiots and liers, and members of this organization is neither.
With a potential corruption indictment hanging over his head, Netanyahu is going to want to jump-start this war as quickly as possible, which is most probably the reason President Trump made the desertification announcement.
Look for this war to generate the revival of the draft in this country, and this time, the US military will be coming after both our young women and our young men. And here is how I see the forces lining up; China, Russia, and Iran on one side, with the US; NATO, Saudi Arabia, and Israel on the other. There is no way that this will be allowed to stay regional; my sense is, it will go global in a heartbeat.