Israel is concerned that US President Donald Trump may strike an agreement with Iran before addressing some of the key issues that drove the two countries to launch the war in the first place, multiple Israeli sources have told CNN.
According to a new CNN report, a deal that leaves Tehran’s nuclear program partially intact while bypassing issues such as ballistic missiles and support for regional proxies would lead to Israel viewing the war as incomplete.
“The primary concern is that Trump will grow tired of talks and cut a deal – any deal – with last-minute concessions,” one Israeli source said. While US officials have reassured Israel that the issue of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be addressed, the source said the apparent exclusion of ballistic missiles and Tehran’s proxy network from the talks “is a big deal.”
A White House spokeswoman said that Iran “knows full well their current reality is not sustainable,” insisting that Trump “holds all the cards” in negotiations. “Their ballistic missiles are destroyed, their production facilities are dismantled, their navy is sunk, and their proxies are weakened,” Olivia Wales said. “Now, they are being strangled economically by Operation Economic Fury and losing $500 million per day.”
An agreement between the US and Iran to end the war is far from certain, with significant gaps remaining in the two sides’ positions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Tehran’s nuclear program. But the Trump administration has still pushed for a diplomatic path forward, seemingly unwilling to restart a conflict that has sent gas prices in the US soaring.
The narrowing of goals has been visible in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public statements. In February, he laid out five conditions for an acceptable deal: removal of all enriched uranium, dismantling of enrichment capabilities, addressing ballistic missiles, dismantling Iran’s regional proxy network, and robust nuclear inspections.
By last week, he narrowed that list to one: the removal and dismantling of enrichment capabilities.
Israeli officials fear that lifting economic pressure, even partially, could stabilize the Iranian regime at a moment of weakness. One senior Israeli official said Israel remains on high alert for a breakdown in talks…
“Our hand is on the pulse. We will be happy if there will be no deal, we will be happy if the siege on Hormuz continues, and we will be happy if Iran gets a few more strikes,” he said. Boaz Bismuth, chair of the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, reflected the view in a tweet: “It’s either negotiations or a boom.”
