Israeli officials are scrambling to influence the Biden administration as the U.S. attempts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, pushing for hardened positions and no concessions to Tehran as negotiations enter a critical phase.
The Israeli government has in recent days broken with its quiet approach to diplomacy, sending Mossad chief David Barnea to Washington last month to brief officials from the White House, CIA, Pentagon and lawmakers. Prime Minister
Yair Lapid
and other senior Israeli officials have begun expressing growing alarm.
“This deal isn’t a good deal. It was not a good deal when it was signed back in 2015. Today, the dangers it entails are even greater,” said Mr. Lapid in a briefing to journalists last week.
Israel’s views on the Iran deal carry special weight in Washington, given the country’s continuing shadow military conflict with Tehran and a view shared in Washington and Jerusalem that Iran poses a serious threat to Israel’s security. Former Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
unsuccessfully tried to marshal that influence in 2015, when he publicly battled the Obama administration and addressed Congress in a bid to stop the agreement.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attacking the current government’s approach to the Iran nuclear deal.
Photo:
abir sultan/Shutterstock
Mr. Netanyahu’s opposition to the deal helped persuade the Trump administration to exit from the agreement in 2018.
A U.S. official said Israel’s election season was partly responsible for the more heated rhetoric coming from politicians there around the deal, which is broadly unpopular in Israel. The Biden administration has kept Israel closely informed about the negotiations, said people familiar with the discussions, allowing Israel to nudge privately against concessions and potentially heighten Washington’s sensitivity to Israel’s concerns, leading the U.S. to tread more carefully.
The U.S. official said the Biden administration and…
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