Netanyahu: Israel not party to US-Iran memorandum of understanding

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about a “memorandum of understanding being prepared with Iran to enter negotiations”.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said: “Although Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that any final agreement reached at the end of the negotiations would include the removal of enriched materials, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and an end to Iran’s support for its proxies in the region.”

Earlier, Israeli journalists and security commentators criticised Israel’s position on the issue, saying the emerging agreement reflected a failure for Israel and its interests.

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Earlier on Thursday, Trump said the United States and Iran were close to signing an agreement, which he expected to be concluded in the coming days.

The US president also announced on Thursday evening that he had cancelled military strikes that had been planned against Iran for later that night.

Trump claimed that all parties involved had agreed on “both concept and great detail” of the deal with Iran.

In a post on the US-based Truth Social platform, Trump said: “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.”   

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