Lapid to Blinken: Israel has serious concerns about US return to JCPOA

On Sunday, July 26, in his first meeting with his American counterpart, the Israeli Foreign Minister said that his country has "serious concerns" about the possible return of the United States to the JCPOA.

Yair Lapid, in a meeting with Anthony Blinken in Rome, the capital of Italy, said that Israel's position on Iran remains unchanged.

He stated that Israel had "achieved many things" in the agreement reached in the Vienna talks.

The Israeli Foreign Minister did not mention these "achievements" but added that the press conference of the foreign ministers of the two countries is not the appropriate place to express positions on Iran, but rather that they will be raised in direct expert negotiations between Israel and the United States.

According to Lapid, Israel and the United States have their own reservations about how to achieve the goals, otherwise the goals are the same. The US Secretary of State remained silent in response to Yair Lapid's statements.

The meeting between the Israeli and US foreign ministers is the second meeting between senior officials from the Naftali Bennett government and the Biden administration. Last week, General Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli army chief of staff, traveled to Washington for talks on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced last Thursday that Israel is negotiating, consulting, and exchanging information with friendly and allied countries on Iran, but continues to reserve all rights for itself.

The United States and its Western allies have warned Iran that the talks cannot continue indefinitely. Iran has also intensified its position, saying that it has not wanted the talks to erode from the beginning, and in addition, Tehran has not renewed a technical agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding the agency's access to videos of activities at Iranian nuclear sites.

Naftali Bennett's government has emphasized that, by influencing the United States and engaging with Washington, it seeks to dissuade Washington from returning to the JCPOA or including Israel's views in the agreement. This is despite Benjamin Netanyahu's strict prohibition of any interaction with the United States regarding Iran.

Emphasis on supporting the Abrahamic Peace Accords

According to Reuters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a meeting in Rome that the Joe Biden administration not only supports the Abrahamic peace accords but also hopes to expand them. These agreements were reached between Israel and a number of Arab countries under the previous US administration.

However, the US Secretary of State said that the Abraham Accords are not a substitute for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr. Blinken urged Yair Lapid that the new Israeli government prioritize humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and its reconstruction to resolve "a humanitarian crisis."

Meanwhile, according to Israeli media reports, Mr. Lapid told the US Secretary of State that the new Israeli government would correct "past mistakes" towards the US.

He was referring to the former Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, being very close to the Republican Party and the Israeli government's neglect of the American Democratic Party for many years.

Yair Lapid acknowledged that cross-partisan support for Israel in the United States had been "skewed" by Benjamin Netanyahu's policies and his extremely close relationship with Donald Trump, but added that the two countries would make up for this situation.

The Israeli Foreign Minister also said that in the two weeks since the country's new government came to power, he has spoken by phone with a large number of American Democratic and Republican leaders and emphasized the shared values ​​of the two countries.

Source: Radio Farda