Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday that Israel would do “everything it can” to influence the US against reviving the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and announced that he was traveling to the US later this week.
“The State of Israel is not opposed to agreements in general, but it is opposed to the emerging nuclear agreement,” he said. Gantz’s comments came after a US official told Reuters on Monday that a deal with Iran is “closer” now that Tehran has made concessions and dropped certain demands.
Gantz will travel to Florida on Thursday where he will meet with the head of US Central Command, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla. Gantz will head to Washington on Friday for a meeting with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, where he will likely push for the Biden administration to abandon the JCPOA negotiations.
“We are in contact with international authorities, the Americans and others, regarding our opposition to the agreement,” Gantz said. “We will do everything we can to exert influence on this matter.”
Sullivan hosted his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata, at the White House on Tuesday. According to a White House readout of the meeting, the two officials discussed “threats” posed by Iran.
The White House said Sullivan reaffirmed the US commitment “to preserve and strengthen Israel’s capability to deter its enemies and to defend itself by itself against any threat or combination of threats, including from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies; and our commitment to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.”
Israeli officials are constantly warning that Israel might attack Iran if the JCPOA is revived, claiming force is the only way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But the JCPOA puts Iran’s nuclear program under strict limits and makes it subject to the most stringent inspections in the world.
Even without the JCPOA, Iran has repeatedly vowed it has no plans to build a nuclear bomb and is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which Israel refuses to sign due to its secret nuclear weapons program.
And in the end, Gantz will get what he wants. By hook or by crook.
I’m not sure Gantz is able to stop an agreement. Actually the israeli regime has acknowledged it could not torpedo the JCPOA negotiations. Even its closest ally (proxy) in Saudi was not helpful in this regard because whatever they accuse Iran of, Israel is guilty in the very same accusations.
These contacts in the US and other countries are a sign of desperation and fear because of failure – but is this not very typically for hypocrites?
Just like the last time it “passed”, Israel will get a whole bunch more $$ “concessions” from the US to help the medicine go down…. but then eventually the deal will be rescinded again and Israel will keep the sugar. Rinse and repeat
It’s worse than getting frisked…
Israel and the US two Fascist.countrys joined at the hip.to.practice rapacious Capitalism,Imperialism ,Racism and Genocide. Until everyone is dead
..
Grantz or any other placeholder will follow the priniciple -Create a false crisis,use that crisis repeatedly,make apocalyptic threats as much as possible every time the discussion moves away from the crisis by highlighting that Iranians or some other muslim countries are abusing the American benevolence . Then ask for the freebies military hardwares atnd money that they got last time by making same bullshitting.
The strongest and most powerful hypocrisy comes from the Israeli regime, who never intended to make Middle East free from nuclear weapons or let IAEA inspect its own atomic installations.
On the other hand Iran acceded these initiatives to make ME a nuclear weapon free zone and signed the non proliferation treaty decades ago. Not to forget that Iran also agreed to additional wide ranging protocols to allow IAEA inspections which are not seen anywhere else in the world.
It is all about demonizing and weaken Iran and not allow the country to grow and develope it’s economy and scientific progress. Israel is the main source to the smear campaign while it should itself be targeted for the accusations it levels against Iran.
Israel just walks between the raindrops…
Iran peaceful nuclear activity accounts as just 2% worldwide, but IAEA inspection and surveillance of it accounts for 25% of the world…!
Iran has all the time in the world to built,deploy, and use its nukes.
Jake, try and have a little faith. There are some good possibilities
here…
Israel already has nukes.
And will use them with the full backing of the US .
Jake, do you know what can happen between two nuclear countries? Peace agreements, the promise of ‘no first use’…
As twisted as it sounds it’s a place to start…
The playing field is level.
When someone hates your guts,promises are for fools.How many women have been cajoled into sex with promises of eternal love.
I don’t sleep any better at night knowing that such an impulsive country as Israel has nukes either…
It is a very close contest between Israel.and the US who.is the bigger warmonger.I call it a tie.They.have.Bengy and we have Sleepy.Joe.
And China is a peaceful nation-HA HA HA. And Iran’s IRA marches around a mock up of Jerusalem-real peaceful.
“Impulsive”?-it has taken tremendous self restraint not to go first strike on Haman.
I’m glad for the restraint Jake.
Again and again this proved it was never about Iran getting nukes. during Obama Era it was about using us to attack and weaken Iran and now as Israel knows us in no position to attack Iran and the unwillingness of leadership to carry this out it is about keeping the shackles on until Trump returns so he can be maneuvered into attacking Iran.
Israel probably the only country other than iran that believes Iran will not build the bomb even if the opportunity is there.
They have been accusing Iran of secretly making a nuclear bomb for the past two decades with no evidence….!
But ,but,but Bretto Spehno of Posto Jerusalmo from neocon harem will tell us that Saudi UAE Egypt put pressures on US agianst this deal thats why this deal did not go through . Just like Iraq war and Syria war – those previously occupying that positions used to say Arabs told them behind the closed doors that they would love Saddam and Basher to go and woukd love to see US followed through the threats .
Today this anti American writes in NYTimes that we would be sending wrong messages to murderous regime Iran by inking the deal.
Yes we are sending wrong messgaes to Israel for last 70 yeras and we are still sending as Grantz vsits USA .
Netanyahu’s immediate predecessor, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the New York Times that, “Just as Pakistan had the bomb and nothing happened, Israel could also accept and survive Iran having the bomb.” Former Clinton administration State Department official Jamie Rubin also explained in Foreign Policy that the problem was never an Israeli fear of a first strike by Iran, but “Israel’s real fear – losing its nuclear monopoly and therefore the ability to use its conventional forces at will throughout the Middle East – is the unacknowledged factor driving its decision-making toward the Islamic Republic.”
[F]or Israeli leaders, the real threat from a nuclear-armed Iran is not the prospect of an insane Iranian leader launching an unprovoked nuclear attack on Israel that would lead to the annihilation of both countries. It’s the fact that Iran doesn’t even need to test a nuclear weapon to undermine Israeli military leverage in Lebanon and Syria.
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/biden-and-allies-continue-to-put-iran-in-the-crosshairs/
Iran’s nuclear program is already under strict limits due to being a signature to the NPT (1968, ratified 1970). Israel’s “secret nuclear weapons program” is not a secret. Mordecai Vanunu exposed the program years ago, and his life has suffered for it.
Well said, well said.
True, so US and Israel are cheating themselves all these years…!
And Gantz expects a blow job from ByeDone as well.
ByeDone mouth is not strong enough…!
Isn’t that a tradition?…
Well considering the US is arming Ukraine to kill Russians , it`s about time Russia started arming Iran to Kill Israelis , it`s only fair after all isn`t it ?.