Israeli minister, Mossad chief to meet Witkoff ahead of US-Iran talks
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The revelation comes a day after Israeli PM Netanyahu reiterated that "Israel" would not permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, even as Trump pursues a new nuclear agreement with Tehran.
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Israeli and American flags appear before a meeting between then-Vice President Kamala Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Vice President's Ceremonial Office on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, July 25, 2024 (AP)
"Israel's" Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad Chief David Barnea secretly traveled to the French capital, Paris, to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on the Iranian nuclear program, the Israeli news website Walla reported on Friday.
The website cited senior Israeli officials as saying that the meeting will take place Friday in preparation for the second round of US-Iran nuclear talks, scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, in Rome.
The US and Iran, who have had no formal diplomatic relations for over four decades, are working toward a new nuclear agreement following Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 landmark deal during his first term in office.
Saturday's meeting follows high-level nuclear talks between the two countries last week, marking the most senior engagement since the 2015 accord collapsed.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump blocked an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, as Washington pursues renewed diplomatic efforts to limit Tehran's nuclear program.
Trump administration officials told The New York Times that "Israel" had sought US backing for a strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure as early as May.
The proposed plan, including potential operational details, had reportedly been under consideration for several months.
However, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last week, Trump informed Israeli officials that the US would not support such an operation. Instead, the president publicly announced the initiation of "direct talks" with Tehran.
Read more: US arms 'Israel' ahead of possible confrontation with Iran
Netanyahu reiterates 'Israel' will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons
Netanyahu reiterated on Thursday that "Israel" would not permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, even as Trump pursues a new nuclear agreement with Tehran.
His remarks, the first since the launch of US-Iran negotiations earlier this month, came in response to reports that Trump had blocked an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
"As the prime minister has stated many times: Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons," read a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
"Israel" and several Western nations have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons capability—a claim Tehran has consistently denied.
Netanyahu's office said that "the prime minister has led countless overt and covert actions in the battle against Iran's nuclear programme, without which Iran would today possess a nuclear arsenal."
"These actions delayed Iran's nuclear programme by nearly a decade," it claimed.
While Trump is pursuing diplomatic avenues, Netanyahu has maintained his longstanding approach of confronting Iran’s nuclear program through military and other means.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu has been leading the global campaign against Iran's nuclear programme for over a decade, even when some dismissed the threat and referred to it as a 'political spin' and called the prime minister 'paranoid,'" his office said.
Read more: US softens nuclear stance as Iran holds firm on red lines: WSJ
