White House: Israel won’t change position on Iran deal

The Israeli delegation to the US is unlikely to change the American position on a return to the 2015 Iran deal, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, days before senior defense officials were set to head to Washington.

Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat are expected to go to Washington this week to meet their counterparts to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat, as indirect negotiations between the US and Iran continue in Vienna.

Asked on Friday how the White House views the visit and whether it would be likely to change the Biden administration’s position on rejoining the nuclear deal, Psaki said “no.”

“As it relates to Israel, we have kept them abreast as a key partner of these discussions — or of our intentions, and we will continue to do that on any future visits,” she stated.

Psaki said the ongoing talks with Iran are “challenging,” but that the US is “encouraged that there are still conversations between all parties and that they are still happening.”

Officials in Jerusalem have lamented in recent months that Washington was not updating them on their plans moving forward, sharing only intelligence on the situation in Iran. More recently, Israeli officials have said the Biden administration is not sharing what they plan to offer in the negotiations in Vienna.

Still, a senior official in Jerusalem said last week that Israel is hopeful its voice will be heard.

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“We don’t think [a return to the Iran deal is] a done deal yet. We’re going [to Washington] because we’re going to try to influence the process,” he said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi postponed his trip to Washington, due to the escalation of rocket-fire from Gaza over the weekend. Kohavi was supposed to meet top US defense officials such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. Cohen and Ben-Shabbat are expected to continue as planned.