Netanyahu talks about 'mini-deal' between US, Iran: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Jun 2023 15:12

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the US and Iran are discussing a mini-deal although Iran has refuted these claims on multiple occasions.

Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to right-wing, then, opposition party members at the Knesset, occupied Al-Quds, Palestine, June 14 2021 (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to members of a closed parliament meeting that the US and Iran are discussing a nuclear "mini-deal", according to the Israeli news website Walla! which cited five Israeli lawmakers who attended the meeting.

He further argued that the interim deal will not be a comprehensive agreement, in which Iran promises to not exceed 60% of uranium enrichment levels while the US promises to relieve some of the sanctions placed on the country.

The Israeli PM assured the participants at the meeting that discussions between the US and Iran will not lead to a revival of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed the reported ongoing indirect negotiations with the US in Oman, on Monday, as its spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said, "The exchange of messages continues, and the diplomatic apparatus uses all capacities within the framework of Iran’s principled policies to secure national interests. We used Oman’s capacity and assistance as a friendly country."

However, the official also added that Iran will not settle for an interim nuclear deal with the US and its allies, maintaining the Iranian government's objective of returning to the JCPOA agreement, which the US withdrew from in 2018 during Trump's presidency.

Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity after the "The number of files in the International Atomic Energy Agency [regarding the Iranian nuclear project] has decreased" now that "the last two files have been closed," Seyyed Mohammad Marandi, the Iranian nuclear negotiating team's international media advisor told Al Mayadeen.

Marandi added that "The [nuclear agreement] text is basically ready and is awaiting both parties' signature," he revealed, adding that "the time is ripe for the deal."

Furthermore, Iran's nuclear negotiator met with three European diplomats from three different countries in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss several issues, including the country's nuclear energy program.

"Following diplomatic consultations with regional and extra-regional parties, we met with our German, French, and British counterparts in Abu Dhabi and discussed a range of issues," Deputy Foreign Minister and top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani tweeted.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program, ensuring that Tehran could not create a nuclear weapon, which it has long denied seeking.

Moreover, the US withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and the reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. On-again, off-again talks to resurrect the deal with France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China, as well as the United States, have faltered in recent months.