Report: Several Israeli Military Officials Support Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal

© Photo : IDF Spokesperson's Unit)Shaldag commando unit soldiers
Shaldag commando unit soldiers  - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.06.2022
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The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 and eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions regarding the country’s nuclear plan. It was the landmark foreign policy achievement of the Obama administration but the deal was torpedoed in 2018 after Trump pulled out of the deal and issued harsh sanctions on Iran.
According to an article in Ynet, several Israeli senior defense officials are breaking from the stated position of the Israeli government and now support reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
With President Biden expressing support for a return to the deal, talks began in March but stalled out in April. However, after a surprise visit to Tehran by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, talks are set to resume in Vienna in a matter of days.
That has caused some internal debate in Israel’s defense establishment, leading to the split of opinions.
The Ynet report mentions four senior military officials who support the revival of JCPOA, including the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Aliva and the military official in charge of Iran affairs, Brig. Gen. Tal Kelman.
While the perception among those supporting the deal remains that JCPOA is less than ideal, they prefer a bad deal over none at all. They believe that the agreement will give them time to prepare a military response against Iran if Israel believes Tehran is developing nuclear weapons.
Officially, Israel opposes the JCPOA agreement, just as it was signed in 2015. Israel argues that Iran is untrustworthy and believes the country will not stick to its commitments.
Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad and its senior officials still oppose the deal. According to the Ynet report, the agency believes that the dissenting opinions were leaked to the public in an attempt to influence Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
The defense officials who support the deal believe they have Defense Minister Benny Gantz on their side. Previously, Gantz stated that he supports a stricter deal. Responding to the report, Gantz said that his position has not changed and that debates over the nuclear deal need to remain behind closed doors.
“We will continue to hold open and deep discourse only in closed rooms. Any other way harms the security of the State of Israel,” Gantz stated on Twitter (quote translated by Twitter and edited for readability.)
Israel has been taking a strong stance against Iran publicly. Earlier this month, the IDF conducted aerial maneuvers over the Mediterranean sea, simulating an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
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