TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2022) Israel plans to maintain freedom of action on Iran irrespective of the outcome of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) talks in Vienna since Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday.
On February 5 the United States authorities restored a sanctions waiver for Iran that is meant to ensure compliance with nuclear commitments. The waiver is expected to allow third parties to have more detailed technical discussions related to the disposition of stockpiles of enriched uranium in Iran and other non-proliferation activities.
"The greatest threat against the State of Israel is Iran. As the government, we are responsible for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program and, of course, we are monitoring the Vienna talks," Bennett said ahead of a cabinet meeting, adding that "Israel will maintain freedom of action in any case, with or without an agreement."
The current terms of the JCPOA undermine the ability to deal with the nuclear program, which only temporarily delays the enrichment of uranium, and represents a serious threat to the region, according to Bennett.
Since April 2021, Vienna has been hosting talks to restore the nuclear deal. The eighth round of talks has been underway in Vienna since late December. The parties previously agreed on two drafts of the agreement, which included provisions covering Iranian interests. In May 2018, the Trump administration abandoned the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran, which in response abandoned its commitments under the agreement. The signatories to the original nuclear deal were the United States, Iran, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union. It required Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and drastically reduce its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including the lifting of an arms embargo five years after the deal was made.
