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Israel’s Mossad chief to meet Biden, set out conditions to reform Iran’s nuclear deal

January 25, 2021 at 10:17 am

Yossi Cohen, director of Israel’s national intelligence agency Mossad on 3 July 2017 [HEIDI LEVINE/AFP/Getty Images]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will send Israel’s Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen to Washington next month to meet with US President Joe Biden in order to set Tel Aviv’s demands for reforming Iran’s nuclear deal, the Times of Israel reported yesterday.

According to the Israeli newspaper, Israeli TV Channel 12 broke the news on Saturday night, adding that Cohen, a trusted Netanyahu ally, would be the first senior Israeli official to meet with Biden and the chief of the CIA.

Israel is afraid that reviving Iran’s nuclear deal would help it enrich uranium and relieve its economy, the Israeli newspaper said.

Channel 12 reported that Cohen will present Israel’s demands to Biden, which are: Iran must halt the enrichment of uranium, stop producing advanced centrifuges and cease supporting terror groups, foremost Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The demands also include ending Iran’s military presence in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, stopping “terror” activities against Israeli targets overseas and granting full access to the IAEA on all aspects of its nuclear programme.

READ: Israeli officials concerned over Biden’s stance on Iran and Palestine 

Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US administration would consult with Israel and other allies when it takes a decision to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu urged Biden to work with Israel to deal with the “threat posed by Iran”.