Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Thursday he hopes a better nuclear deal will come out of upcoming talks between world powers and Iran ahead of Monday's new round of talks in Vienna but stressed that Israel is hedging its bets and building up its military capabilities.
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Gantz spoke to reporters at the close of a two-day visit to the Moroccan capital of Rabat, where he met with top Moroccan intelligence, defense, and diplomatic officials. Among the issues discussed was Iran.
"Our obligation concerning Iran is to influence our partners and maintain an ongoing conversation," Gantz said. "Our second obligation is to build up military power, which is something important in and of itself."
Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers are set to kick off next week in Vienna.
Iran has steamed ahead with its enrichment of uranium since the United States withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018. Israel was deeply opposed to that agreement, and Israeli officials now say Tehran is closer than ever to developing nuclear arms.
Iran says its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes and has blamed the breakdown of the agreement on the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from it and restore crippling sanctions. The Biden administration has said it hopes to negotiate a return to the deal.
Gantz said that Israel must work in concert with the US and avoid making the issue of Iran's nuclear program a partisan one.
"A good agreement is one that will plug the holes in the previous agreement in the fields of nuclear development, missile launching systems, breakout time, and what Iran is doing in the region," Gantz said.
Gantz's visit was the first official visit by an Israeli defense official to one of its new Arab allies. Israel and Morocco normalized relations last year as part of the so-called Abraham Accords in which four Arab nations agreed to establish official ties with Israel. During his visit, he signed a defense agreement.
"Even when it's difficult, we need to strive for peace," Gantz said to a group that included Moroccan and Israeli military officers. "We must always be the strongest in the region."
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