Different Decade, Same Iran Deal

But the reporters present were interested in something else — the ongoing talks between the United States and Iran. And while Ambassador Otaiba evaded the question with characteristic diplomacy, Ambassador Erdan was happy to provide them with quotes emphasizing Israel’s opposition to the deal taking shape in Vienna. He added that the IDF chief of staff, the head of the Mossad, the head of the military intelligence directorate, and the national security advisor were all making their way to Washington to discuss Israel’s concerns with Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan.

It’s not every day — or every year, for that matter — that such a high-ranking delegation of Israeli security officials makes its way to Washington. But it happened this week. Israel is trying to get all the alarm bells ringing and send a clear message to the Biden administration — which seems determined to return to the 2015 Iran Deal — that Israel doesn’t look kindly, to say the least, on a return to what it sees as a flawed agreement.

Meanwhile, in Vienna, the talks between Iran and the United States are progressing rapidly, and the two sides hope to be able to announce an agreement within the coming weeks.

A senior official in the State Department said last Wednesday in a conference call that there were still major disagreements between the parties and that several more rounds of talks would be necessary. But in the same breath, he revealed that the talks currently taking place aren’t about trust-building steps ahead of lifting sanctions, but about the whole package — i.e., a full return to the nuclear deal by both sides.