Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he opposes any interim agreement reportedly being negotiated between the United States and Iran over its nuclear program.
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Netanyahu spoke after reports in Israeli media said understandings are being reached between Washington and Tehran that would seek to partially hold back Iran's nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief. The reports could not be independently confirmed and the US has publicly denied any such deal.
Video: Video: Roy Avraham/GPO, sound: Ben Peretz/GPO
Netanyahu said Israel had informed the US that it opposed even a partial agreement with Iran.
"We told our American friends that even the limited understandings are unacceptable to us," the prime minister said during a visit to the Israel Aerospace Industries on Sunday, just hours after hours after an Israel Hayom report on his relative "defeating silence" on the emerging understandings.
Israeli officials believe some understandings have already been reached limiting enrichment and that some funds have already been unfrozen. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a confidential diplomatic assessment.
Last week, Israeli media reported that under the emerging understanding Iran would limit its uranium enrichment to 60% in exchange for sanctions relief. The site also said the sides were discussing reciprocal prisoner releases.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week "there is no deal," adding that the reports were untrue.
Reports also said that Netanyahu had revealed details of the agreement at a recent parliamentary committee meeting. The US and Israel share intelligence and a prime focus of the countries' interactions is Iran and its nuclear program.
Netanyahu vehemently opposed the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers brokered by the Obama administration that sought to rein in Iran's nuclear program. He was a major supporter of President Donald Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw from the deal, which left it in shambles.
Israel considers a nuclear Iran as a major threat – citing its calls for Israel's destruction and its support for anti-Israel terror groups across the region – and says it does not rule out military action to prevent Iran from making a nuclear weapon.
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