Game over, Iran made strides in Vienna talks: Israeli media

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As it seems, the nuclear agreement currently taking shape with Iran is worse than the agreement that former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged former US President Donald Trump to withdraw from in 2018, deputy Israeli security minister Alon Schuster said on Saturday, as quoted by Israeli media.

"The security establishment is gravely concerned over the status-quo," Schuster told Israeli Channel 12. "We are not a party to the agreement, but we warn our partners on several issues, and we will use the remaining time to prepare important military options."

"We will not base our agreements on international agreements. We will closely monitor the situation on the ground and work together with our partners to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear capabilities," the Israeli official said.

The Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation Yair Lapid had previously said that "the nuclear agreement that is taking shape with Iran is worse than the previous agreement."

Sanctions insignificant

"The issue of taking off the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps off the terror list never was a red line or something non-negotiable or that we cannot let go of," Israeli Maj. Gen. (res) Tamir Hayman.

"The matter of sanctions is not something important; it is more symbolic," Hayman stressed.

The advisor to the Iranian delegation to Vienna, Seyyed Mohammad Marandi, informed Al Mayadeen that a CNN report claiming that the removal of the IRGC off the "terror list" was an Iranian condition during the nuclear talks was false.

No viable military option

"There is no viable military option against the Iranian nuclear program," Israeli Channel 12 said. "It is necessary that Israel start thinking of living under a nuclear Iran."

"Israel cannot do much to influence the agreement now, as the United States wants to return to it," the Israeli outlet added. "It is concerning if there have been leaks related to the field of technology [...] Iran has made strides, especially following the [US] withdrawal from the agreement. To return to it, a price must be paid [to Iran]."

The Israeli channel raised concerns about Iran possessing large stockpiles of uranium "it can enrich to a military level tomorrow morning if it so wishes [...] this is a dangerous situation that Israel has no response to."

"The game is over, and Israel, through all its attempts, it is still running in place," the Israeli new outlet stressed. "Part of the people linked to the preparations for a possible military offensive against Iran in 2011 are saying today that there is no possibility for an effective military operation."

Israeli concerns

The Israeli occupation's government on Thursday sent a message to the Biden administration saying that the EU draft resolution on the Iran nuclear deal, which is being discussed with Iran, crosses the red lines set by the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid conveyed a message to the White House today, in which he confirmed that the draft European Union agreement being discussed with Iran goes beyond the limits of the 2015 nuclear agreement, and does not comply with the red lines set by the Biden administration," an Israeli official told the Israeli Walla! newspaper.

Lapid met last Thursday with US Representative Ted Deutch, Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, and US Ambassador Tom Nides. The three officials discussed the issue of the Iranian nuclear deal.

The European Union proposed easing sanctions on Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in order to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA, Politico reported on Friday.

The proposal, brokered by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in coordination with US officials, is not seeking the suspension of sanctions against the IRGC but may "significantly limit their effectiveness," the news outlet said.

If the draft resolution is adopted, it would allow companies in the European Union to do business in Iran, evading US and EU sanctions. 

President Biden dismissed in April a demand from Iran for him to reverse a decision taken by the Trump administration in 2019 to label the IRGC a "terrorist organization". A group of US senators in May signed a resolution declaring that the US should not agree to any deal that would entail the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

Major powers and Iran are holding talks in Vienna with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement and returning the United States to it following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who accompanied his decision with the imposition of harsh sanctions on Tehran.

In response, Iran gradually withdrew from its commitments under the JCPOA, seeing that the agreement was no longer binding.