BICOM

Israel’s opposition and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog met yesterday with leading White House officials who assured him that the United States would not soften its stance on Iran’s nuclear development, despite the recent suggestion of a common US-Iranian interest in tackling ISIS.

Herzog met yesterday with President Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough, and deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken and emphasised that curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions is just as important as the fight against ISIS. President Obama is set to outline his strategy to tackle ISIS in an address to the nation later today.

Herzog commented after the meeting, “A nuclear Iran is a threat to Israel and the world and we cannot compromise on this issue.” He indicated that there was solid American agreement, saying, “I appreciate the American position that understands that one threat does not exclude the other, and the fight against ISIS, despite its central importance to the international community, does not reduce the danger of the Iranian nuclear program.” Herzog concluded that the White House “understands the situation and provides full support to Israel and its interests.”

Also yesterday, Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon told Israeli radio that in order to overcome ISIS, “there must be cooperation between intelligence agencies from across the free world, a sharing of experience and operational cooperation.”

Later this week, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz will lead an Israeli delegation to Washington to consult with US officials ahead of the latest round of talks between the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran on 18 September in New York. The two sides are looking to broker a long-term settlement to assuage international concerns over Iran’s nuclear development, having agreed a six-month deal in November. Last week, Steinitz commented, “a bad deal leaving Iran a nuclear threshold state … is of course something we are not willing to accept.”