Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, discussing the negotiations between Iran and the major powers in Vienna on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2021) Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, discussing the negotiations between Iran and the major powers in Vienna on Wednesday.
"These days are pretty important. What happens in Vienna has profound ramifications for the stability of the middle East and the security of Israel for the upcoming years. And that is why it is such a timely meeting," Bennett said.
The prime minister also said that US-Israeli relations were "as strong as ever."
"... (A)t a critical juncture for both of our countries on a major set of security issues, it's important that we sit together and develop a common strategy, a common outlook, and find a way forward that fundamentally secures your country's interests and mine," Sullivan said.
The discussion was a continuation of ongoing consultations on the threat posed by Iran, particularly its nuclear program and destabilizing activities in the region.
The seventh round of the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) began on November 29. Lifting US sanctions on Tehran appeared to be the main issue of the talks, but has not yet been resolved. However, an agreement was reached to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to replace surveillance cameras at the TESA Karaj Complex, which could assuage concerns about the nature of Tehran's nuclear program. Some of the Karaj cameras were damaged in a sabotage attack earlier this year.
In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with the P5+1 group of countries including China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The agreement obligated Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and significantly decrease its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and re-imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to largely abandon its own commitments.
