Senior Israeli Official Says Iran Nuclear Deal Talks are Dead

The official says the US and European nations conveyed this message

A senior Israeli official said Monday that the negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, are over and that the US and Europe should start discussing a stronger agreement.

“There’s not going to be a JCPOA, say the Americans and most Europeans. They say, ‘We have a lot of reservations about the possibility of a nuclear agreement,'” the Israeli official said. “There are no talks right now with Iran. There is no one in Vienna.”

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, made the comments while traveling with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Germany.

The Israeli official claimed that Israel presented the European JCPOA signatories with evidence that “proved that the Iranians are lying while talks are still happening.” The official didn’t elaborate on what that alleged evidence could be, and Israel is notorious for sharing questionable intelligence on Iran.

While Israel is not a signatory to the JCPOA, it has major influence over the US’s Iran policy and has been heaping on the pressure in recent weeks to kill the deal. The Israeli official said that it was time for the US and Europe to start talking about a “longer and stronger” deal by using the threat of military action as leverage.

“It’s time to start a strategic dialogue with the Americans and Europeans about a longer, stronger agreement. But what we need now is for the Americans to put a credible military threat, and everyone to push for a better agreement,” the official said. “We need an agreement without sunset clauses.”

Israel’s position is that it is opposed to the JCPOA because it eventually expires. But after the JCPOA, Iran would still be a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel refuses to sign due to its secret nuclear weapons program.

Author: Dave DeCamp

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