Israel: Iranian response makes return to nuclear deal unlikely but does not end negotiations

Israeli officials commented on Friday on the latest response Tehran presented in the context of talks to revive the nuclear agreement, which the US announced was “not constructive”.

The Israeli officials considered the Iranian response “makes the return to the nuclear agreement soon unlikely, but this does not mean it is the end of the story.”

They added that the negotiations have not ended and Israel “continues its efforts to rein them in, despite the positive indications”, according to their quotes reported by Channel 13.

Israel’s Ynet news site quoted an Israeli official saying he believes the negotiations to revive the nuclear deal are likely to continue, adding that “the Iranians always take a step forward because they know that they and the Americans do not want to sever the ties.”

Channel 13 reported that awareness in Israel, following the telephone conversation between Israeli Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, and US President, Joe Biden, is that the latter does not intend to back down from not allowing the investigation files opened by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran to be closed, and that the US does not intend to compromise on any issue that concerns Israel, such as the status of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

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Iran sent a written response, early today, to the final draft of a roadmap for the parties’ return to the nuclear agreement.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement, “The sent text has a constructive approach with the aim of finalising the negotiations.”

In Washington, the State Department said it received Iran’s response through the EU, which acted as a mediator for the indirect talks after former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the deal in 2018.

The US State Department said, “We are studying it and will respond through the EU but, unfortunately, it is not constructive.” Like Iran, the US State Department did not mention what the proposal included.