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.
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 sources said.
“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.”
Iran fired over 1,000 ballistic missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states during the war, as well as barrages of drones.
A partial deal that fails to address some of Iran’s key capabilities while easing economic pressure on the country could also stabilize the regime and provide it with an influx of cash, the officials said. The concerns highlight a gap between Trump, who appears reluctant to resume the war, and Netanyahu, who fears it will end without achieving all of its initial aims.
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 in a statement to CNN. “Now, they are being strangled economically by Operation Economic Fury and losing $500 million per day thanks to the United States Military’s successful blockade of Iranian ports.”
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, and Israel is preparing for the possibility that the fighting resumes. 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.
