Bennett says Israel's covert operations against Iran's nuclear program will continue
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, on the eve of his trip to Washington to meet with Joe Biden, has said that he opposes the efforts of the Joe Biden administration to revive the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and that the country's covert operations against Iran's nuclear program will continue.
In an interview with the New York Times published on Tuesday, September 19, Naftali Bennett emphasized that Israel is forming a coalition with Arab countries in the region to confront Iran's expansionism and hegemony.
The Israeli prime minister stressed that he will expand Jewish settlements and reject any peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The Israeli Prime Minister has said that he will present a new strategy towards Iran in his meeting with the US President, which will include strengthening relations with Arab countries opposed to Iran's regional influence and nuclear ambitions, considering diplomatic and economic measures against Iran, and that Israel's covert attacks on Iran, including in what is called the "gray zone," will continue.
Naftali Bennett clarified that what we must do, and what we are doing, is to form a regional coalition of rational Arab countries to together block Iran's expansionism and hegemony.
"Israel is here," he added. "We are the anchor of stability, with the will to do the work to keep this region safe and secure."
The Israeli and American governments seek to contain Iran's regional activities as well as its nuclear program, but they disagree on the fundamental issue of the US returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with his outspoken and consistent criticism of the possibility of the Joe Biden administration returning to the JCPOA, warned that in that case, Israel would take the necessary measures.
Joe Biden has previously spoken of America's desire to return to the agreement. So far, six rounds of talks have been held between Iran and the JCPOA member states, including Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China, with the indirect presence and negotiation of US representatives in Vienna, the capital of Austria. These talks were held in order to ensure the full implementation of the JCPOA by Iran and the US, but have not yet reached a conclusion.
Negotiations to revive the JCPOA have been suspended since late June, and officials from Ebrahim Raisi's government have not yet announced their approach to these negotiations, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has promised that the date for the new round of negotiations will be announced after the end of the government changes and developments in Iran.
Israel has carried out operations against Iranian nuclear facilities and programs in the country in recent years. The Israeli Defense Minister said in July of this year that Iran "knows full well that we are conducting operations on its soil."
Source: Radio Farda
