According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, Israeli officials saw that Iran was changing its course in the Vienna talks on the nuclear case, indicating that it is seriously considering signing a final agreement with Western countries.
Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Haaretz reported yesterday that “Iran’s reaction to the final draft sent by the European Union on Monday indicates that it is changing its approach.”
Other Israeli officials offered a more modest assessment, saying it had begun an evolving path that could lead to an agreement, even if that was unlikely.
“The fact that Europe and the United States are willing to continue the contact and have not declared the latest draft as the final version that cannot be changed shows that they will not expel the Iranians so quickly,” an Israeli official said. “
He added: The fact that the US and Europe are willing to renew negotiations increases the possibility of reaching an agreement in the end, even if the chances of success do not seem high at the moment.
This newspaper noted: As a result of developments in Vienna, Israeli officials have avoided publicly speaking about the consequences of ongoing contacts between Iran and the United States of America.
He mentioned Defense Secretary Benny Gantz’s conversation on Tuesday with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, about the need to take measures to prevent Iran’s progress in acquiring nuclear weapons after Iran responded to the European Union.
Haaretz reported that Israel’s National Security Adviser Eyal Holata is scheduled to travel to America next week to discuss the issue.
According to this Hebrew newspaper, Israeli officials are afraid that the European Union will deviate towards accepting one of Iran’s main demands, which is the closure of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigation against Iran.
But the sources said the US was unlikely to back down on its pledge not to close the investigation, the paper added.
According to unnamed sources with knowledge of Iran’s response, Haaretz said that Tehran has set three conditions regarding the European offer.
According to the newspaper, the first condition is to ask Iran to lift all sanctions imposed on it, including the removal of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from the list of designated terrorist organizations by the United States, despite President Joe Biden personally announcing that The United States withdraws. Revolutionary Guards in the list
The second condition is the closure of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigations into suspected nuclear sites.
The third condition is to ensure that the US does not withdraw from the agreement again, thereby ensuring that the lifted sanctions are not reimposed.
He explained that the purpose of the latest condition is to allow Tehran to rebuild its economy in the long term and to create a “safety net” for international companies that want to do business with Iran but fear future sanctions.
Haaretz quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying that the European Union sought a yes or no answer, but Iran responded with a “yes, but” to push the sides into another round of talks.
Last week, a senior Israeli official warned of such a possibility and said: “Israel hopes that the forces will not allow the Iranians to continue treading water and to delay time and realize that the Iranians are not looking for a deal.” “
Last week, Israeli officials estimated that although Iranian officials, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council are working to advance the agreement, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not changed his position and continues to oppose any agreement.
Source: Lebanon Debate
