A decrease in the level of concern in Israel about additional American concessions to Iran in the agreement: "The US has hardened its positions"

The head of the National Assembly, Holta, was updated by his American counterpart on the content of the response to Iran, which does not include significant additional concessions.

A political source stated that the public messages that came from Israel recently helped to harden the US position in response to the draft agreement. Israel still fears that the situation will change and will work to prevent a retreat in its position

Barak Ravid

25/08/2022

Thursday, August 25, 2022, 12:29 Updated: 12:30

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National Security Adviser Eyal Hulta's visit to Washington this week somewhat eased the concern in Jerusalem that the Biden administration would make a series of significant additional concessions in order to achieve a nuclear deal with Iran.

A political official said to Walla!

Because in the answer that the US sent to Iran yesterday (Wednesday) regarding the draft nuclear agreement, the Americans hardened their positions.

Representatives of the world powers and Iran at the nuclear talks in Vienna (Photo: Reuters)

why is it important

• Before Hulta's trip to the US, there was deep concern in Israel that the Biden administration intended to make further significant concessions to Iran, including on unprecedented issues. In Israel, they feared that in an attempt to move forward with a nuclear agreement, a dynamic of concessions would be created in the White House that would be difficult to stop. Israel's goal was to prevent this.

between the lines

• In the days before Holta's visit, the White House did not fully understand the depth of Israeli concern.

  The Americans believed that the calming talks they held last week did the job, and only on Saturday night did they get the sign that Israel is not calm, and to a certain extent does not believe the calming messages coming from Washington.

• The panic broadcast by the political echelon in Israel regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran and the hysterical media coverage in recent days, did not accurately reflect the true picture of the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran.

  A political source said that to a large extent the public messages coming from Israel helped in hardening the American position.

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in the news center

• During the meeting between Hulta and President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, at the White House on Tuesday, the US informed Israel about the content of the reply it delivered to the Iranians.

• On the main issue that troubled Israel on the eve of Holta's visit - the fear that the US would exert political pressure on the International Atomic Energy Agency to close the investigations against Iran and remove an obstacle on the way to a new nuclear agreement - Israel received answers that, at least at this stage, are satisfactory.

• A political source said that senior White House officials have made it clear to Israel that they will not give up on the IAEA investigations and will not exert political pressure on the agency's chairman, Raphael Grossi.

  What the Americans said to Holta on the subject in the closed room, they also said immediately afterwards in public.

• The White House emphasized yesterday that the US will not agree to conditions between Iran's return to implementing the nuclear agreement and the closure of the IAEA's investigations into Iran's suspected nuclear activities, and will not compromise the independence of the agency's chairman, Grossi.

• "We have made it clear to the Iranians publicly and through private channels that they must provide answers to the International Atomic Energy Agency's questions. This is the only way to address concerns about those suspicions. This position of ours is not going to change," said a senior White House official.

• Also on the second issue that troubled Israel - possible easing of American economic sanctions on Iranian companies linked to the Revolutionary Guards - White House officials made it clear to Holta that they would not allow this and would not ease their demands regarding due diligence processes for transactions with Iranian companies.

• Another issue discussed is the economic guarantees that the US will give to Iran in the event that the next American president withdraws from the nuclear agreement again. The Iranians demanded that companies that sign contracts in Iran following the lifting of sanctions, receive an exemption from the sanctions for a period of two and a half years in the event that the US withdraws from the nuclear agreement again.

• A political source said that the Americans made it clear to Israel that they would demand from Iran that the same economic guarantees be in effect only as long as Iran remains committed to the agreement, even after a possible American withdrawal from it.

  That is, the Iranians will commit that even if the next American president withdraws from the agreement, they will continue to fully implement it for another two and a half years.

The visit helped.

Head of the National Assembly Hulta (photo: official website, no)

Update

• Another element that contributed to the decrease in the level of anxiety in Jerusalem was the American attack against a base of pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Syria on Tuesday.

  White House officials said it was Biden who ordered preparations for the attack as early as last week.

  If the American president was eager to reach an agreement with Iran as soon as possible and at any cost, it is doubtful that he would have ordered such an attack.

What next

• The political official said that after Holta's talks, Israel was convinced that at this stage the Americans had no intention of making further concessions.

  However, the political source clarified, this situation may change in the future and Israel intends to continue to make sure that there is no retreat in the current American position.

• In Israel they do not know how to accurately assess whether an agreement with Iran is close or not.

  This largely depends on the Iranian response.

  A political source said that there is definitely a possibility that many more weeks will pass before an agreement is signed.

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Tags

• Iran

• The nuclear agreement

• United States

• Ill Hulta