Israeli media: US pushes EU to tighten sanctions on Iran, says Blinken

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed to Israeli occupation government Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that US President Joe Biden's previously leaked statement that "the nuclear agreement is dead" is correct, according to Israeli media.

'Israel Hayom' newspaper cited Blinken reaffirming that the administration was "likely to seek the EU to join the effort to up the sanctions on Iran."

For his part, Cohen reiterated, according to the newspaper, "Israel's view that the pressure on Iran should be increased and that the US should not re-enter the accord, from which President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018."

It is noteworthy that Biden noted, earlier, that the nuclear agreement with Iran, was “dead,” but he stressed that the United States of America would not announce this officially.

The White House stated two weeks ago that "now we don't anticipate any progress anytime in the near future. That's just not our focus."

On the other hand, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and the chief negotiator in the Vienna talks, Ali Bagheri Kani, confirmed on Monday, that the talks on the nuclear agreement are continuing, noting that "the [JCPOA revival] negotiations constitute a continuous process, which has been ongoing. It’s methods may have changed [from time to time], but the process still continues.”

Cohen and Blinken discuss expanding normalization agreements

In a further expansionist context, 'Israel Hayom' pointed out that Cohen and Blinken discussed the normalization agreements "and the potential addition of another state that currently does not have relations with Israel to the peace pact."

Furthermore, the two were determined to hold the normalization forum in Morroco in March of 2023. However, they noted that including Saudi Arabia in the upcoming normalization forum is questionable, while effort will be put to bring African countries that have not yet normalized ties with "Israel." 

On Twitter, Blinken said he "Congratulated FM @elicoh1 on his appointment. Based on our strong commitment to Israel's security and long-held values, together we can advance shared interests and confront mutual challenges. We strongly support a two-state solution and oppose anything endangering its viability."

Congratulated FM @elicoh1 on his appointment. Based on our strong commitment to Israel’s security and long-held values, together we can advance shared interests and confront mutual challenges. We strongly support a two-state solution and oppose anything endangering its viability.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 2, 2023

It is worth noting that Blinken will likely visit "Israel" toward the end of January.

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