Israeli PM says not opposed to ‘good’ nuclear deal with Iran

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday he is not opposed to a “good” nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced scepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations.

Bennett spoke a day after negotiators from Iran and five world powers resumed talks in Vienna on restoring Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal. He reiterated that Israel was not bound by any accord, leaving it room to maneuver militarily.

“At the end of the day, of course there can be a good deal,” Bennett told Israeli Army Radio. “Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed.”

Bennett also denied claims by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had agreed to a policy of “no surprises” with Washington, meaning that it would be frank about its military intentions regarding Iran with its prime ally and thus be potentially hobbled. “Israel will always maintain its right to act and will defend itself by itself,” he said.

Israel has watched with concern as European nations, Russia and China have restarted talks with Iran in recent weeks. Tehran has taken a hard stance in the negotiations, suggesting everything discussed in previous rounds of diplomacy could be renegotiated and demanding sanctions relief even as it ramps up its nuclear programme.

Bennett has urged negotiators to tow a firmer line against Iran. Israel is not a party to the talks but has engaged in a blitz of diplomacy on the sidelines in an attempt to sway allies to put more pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear programme.