US President Joe Biden's administration has recently sought to reassure Israel that it has not made any major concessions to Iran and that a nuclear deal is not imminent, and the Israeli authorities are not comforted by that, Axios reported on Saturday, citing sources.
Sources familiar with the developments told the outlet that Israeli concerns were made worse by the fact that election campaigning is presently taking place within its borders.
A nuclear agreement might provide political boost for opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu to use against Prime Minister Yair Lapid if it is finalized before the November elections. US officials told Axios that White House representatives spent much of the last week reassuring their Israeli colleagues that - despite rumors to the contrary - Iran has not received any new concessions.
However, senior Israeli officials informed reporters earlier this week that Lapid told White House officials that the EU proposal violates the Biden administration's own red flags and goes beyond the 2015 pact.
According to the report, Israeli authorities anticipate more frank discussions when Eyal Hulata, the country's national security adviser, meets his US counterpart Jake Sullivan in Washington on Tuesday.
“We are not reassured," an unnamed Israeli official is quoted as saying. "We are very concerned.”
Lapid reportedly has no intention of running a public campaign against Biden over the Iran nuclear deal, despite recent escalation in the US-Iran relations.
“Our policy is not to reach a public confrontation with the US like the one that has taken place in 2015. We will not ruin the relationship with the Biden administration like Netanyahu did with Obama,” another senior Israeli official said.
The press reports purportedly surprised the White House, which tried to reassure Israel once more on Thursday and Friday that it was Iran, not the Biden administration, that was making concessions after dropping its demand that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps be taken off a US terror blacklist.
"A deal might be closer than it was two weeks ago but the outcome remains uncertain as some gaps remain. In any case, it doesn’t seem to be imminent," an undisclosed US official told Axios.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials admitted there had been frequent communication with the United States in recent days. While the majority of the talks took place behind closed doors and became more challenging, the conference was reportedly held to ensure that the White House was aware of how serious Israel's concerns were.
"We are in intensive and constant discussions with Israel on Iran. National Security Adviser Hulata is coming next week to Washington. There is no greater supporter of Israel’s security than President Biden," the administration's National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson is quoted as saying.
Although the official stance of the Israeli government is that it opposes a US return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a number of senior defense and intelligence officials, both current and retired, allegedly have other opinions.
Gen. Aharon Haliva, the current commander of Israeli military intelligence, has recently warned the security cabinet multiple times that returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement is in Israel's best interests. Benny Gantz, Israel's defense minister, added that a return to the nuclear deal would be preferable to the status quo with Iran right now.
The Iranian response to the EU draft accord is still being examined by the White House and the State Department. It remains unclear when the United States will respond both privately and publicly.