BICOM

According to a Channel Two report, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leading officials are consulting closely and urgently with the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) in order to prevent what they see as an unsatisfactory deal potentially being struck over Iran’s nuclear capacity.

Iran and the P5+1 concluded a six-month agreement in Geneva in November, which saw Tehran reduce some of its enrichment capacity in return for a loosening of selected sanctions. However, both sides are now deep in talks to broker a longer-term agreement over Iran’s nuclear development. Although wide gaps reportedly remain between them, especially over the number of permitted centrifuges, the two sides reportedly began drafting text for an agreement last week.

Iranian officials and P5+1 representatives are scheduled to meet again next week and according to Channel Two, “There is growing concern in Jerusalem that a deal is being hatched.” Specifically, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government are apparently concerned that the deal under discussion would leave Iran only a few months away from potentially developing a nuclear weapon, making it effectively a nuclear threshold state.

As a result, Netanyahu reportedly spoke yesterday by phone with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and conveyed that any deal must leave Iran years away from nuclear break-out. Meanwhile, senior officials, such as Minister for Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz and National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen are being dispatched to P5+1 member countries to express Israel’s concerns. Steinitz is reportedly scheduled to visit London for this purpose. Netanyahu has also summoned Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, for emergency consultations on the issue.

Yesterday, Israel’s President Shimon Peres met with US President Barack Obama at the White House. According to Peres, the upcoming nuclear talks with Iran was one of the topics which they discussed. Apparently, Obama told Peres that he wants Israelis to understand his determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.