Blinken Holds Call With Israel’s Lapid to Discuss Iran ‘Challenges’

The US has been coordinating closely with Israel amid Vienna talks

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday and discussed “challenges posed by Iran,” the State Department said.

The US and Israel have been coordinating closely on Iran amid ongoing negotiations in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal. Lapid said on Twitter that he and Blinken discussed “the importance of putting pressure on Iran.”

The Israelis have been outspoken in their opposition to the nuclear deal talks, although there are some signals that Israel may be backing down a bit. The head of Israel’s Military Intelligence reportedly told a high-level security cabinet meeting that Israel would be better off if a deal is reached in Vienna than if the talks fall apart.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel would be willing to accept a “good” Iran nuclear deal. But whatever Israel considers “good” would likely never be accepted by Iran.

The US has also slightly toned down its rhetoric towards Iran. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said there’s been “modest progress” during the negotiations in Vienna. While it might not sound like much, Price’s comments were the first somewhat positive comment since the talks restarted at the end of November.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.