Israeli officials confirmed Tuesday that Israel had not been informed in advance of an agreement between President Donald Trump and Iranian officials to open negotiations between the sides. "The shock was visible on people's faces," said a source in the Israeli delegation to Washington.
Nonetheless, senior officials are attempting to downplay the element of surprise, saying, "We knew a development was possible," since Trump had repeatedly spoken about his desire for negotiations to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. A diplomatic source added that the update given to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the talks, along with the intention to involve Israel in the substance of the negotiations, are "very positive aspects."
"It won't be JCPOA 2," the diplomatic source said, referring to the secret talks held by the Obama administration with Iran in the previous decade that led to the nuclear agreement—talks whose very existence was deliberately concealed from Israel.
Israeli officials are also convinced that Iran's willingness to enter direct talks with Trump is a direct result of his threats against the Islamic Republic, the massive concentration of US forces in the Middle East, and the American airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen, who are an Iranian proxy. "Israel has always held that such negotiations must be approached from a position of strength," the Israeli official added.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who apparently heard about the upcoming negotiations directly from Trump before the two addressed the media, responded to the dramatic development by reiterating the demand to dismantle Iran's nuclear infrastructure, rather than merely freeze its current status.
"We are both united in our goal that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. If this can be achieved diplomatically, in the full sense, in the way it was done in Libya, I think that would be a good thing. But whatever happens, we must ensure Iran does not get nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said at the end of his opening statement in the Oval Office last night.
The Trump administration's official position mirrors Netanyahu's remarks. Senior administration officials have recently stated, both in public and in closed-door discussions, that the Trump administration would not be satisfied with merely freezing Iran's capabilities, as was the essence of the first nuclear deal. Far beyond that, this administration believes Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure must be dismantled. Furthermore, it holds that Tehran's sponsorship of global terrorism, through its network of proxy organizations, must also be addressed. These statements, however, were made prior to Trump's announcement of direct talks with Iran.
It is worth noting that Iran has yet to confirm that direct talks will take place. Iran's Foreign Minister said that the talks would be indirect, in accordance with the Islamic Republic's traditional stance. The Nour News agency, citing senior government officials in Tehran, reported that the talks would be held in Oman and would initially be indirect. "Only if the first round is successful will direct talks be held," the agency reported.
