Israel may approve a reportedly US-negotiated deal to transfer Iranian oil to Syria, according to Channel 12 news.
As stalled talks between Tehran and the world powers to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are set to resume in Vienna in the coming days, three oil-laden tankers are reportedly already heading for Syria.
The vessels are being thus utilized ostensibly as part of an easing of sanctions against Tehran ahead of talks.
Israeli officials would throw their support behind the Iran oil transfer deal on the condition that there was full supervision by the US amid transparency on the part of Tehran, added the report.
Tel Aviv has accused the Islamic Republic of providing weaponry including advanced rockets and drones to its regional allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
Guarantees that the mechanism would not be used to transfer arms shipments to Syria or Lebanon’s Hezbollah group would be the only way to reconcile Tel Aviv with the arrangement, added the report.
Israeli ‘Dissent’ Over the Iran Deal
Back in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions regarding the country’s nuclear plan. It ensured that Iran would not be able to produce nuclear weapons – something Tehran has always denied seeking to achieve.
However, the deal was torpedoed in 2018 after then-president Donald Trump unilaterally scrapped it and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. Israel also officially opposes the JCPOA agreement and has done so since it was signed in 2015, arguing that Iran is untrustworthy.
From the outset, the administration of US President Joe Biden sought to return to the deal, but talks have been stalled since April. However, a Sunday report in Hebrew-language media claimed that dissenting opinions on the issue were creating a split within the Israeli defense establishment.
Four senior military officials support the revival of the 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, according to Ynet.
At the same time, Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, and its senior officials still purportedly oppose the deal.
According to the publication, those defense officials who support a revival of the Iran Nuclear Deal believe Defense Minister Benny Gantz shares their stance.
Responding to the report, Gantz, who previously stated that he supports a stricter deal, said that his position had not changed and suggested debates over the nuclear deal remain behind closed doors.
As for the US interest in oil shipments to Syria, Washington maintains a small contingent of several hundred troops in eastern Syria ostensibly to conduct limited counterterrorism missions.
Combined Joint Task Force Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) was set up to coordinate the US-led coalition against Daesh* terrorists in Syria and Iraq, but is now stationed in Syria without any legal claim, such as an invitation from the government in Damascus or a mandate from the UN Security Council. Overseeing the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, the force has been accused by Damascus of wielding control over the country's oil-rich eastern provinces to plunder its resources. This has been repeatedly evidenced by large convoys of US forces transporting Syrian crude out of the country. Washington has insisted that its forces prevent Daesh* remnants from gaining access to oil sites, despite previously claiming that it had stamped out the terrorist group's remaining foothold in the country.