Mossad chief David Barnea has called an emerging Iran nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers “a strategic disaster” for Israel, in recent meetings about the agreement.
In comments carried by Hebrew-language media Thursday evening, the spymaster said the deal is “very bad for Israel” and the US “is rushing into an accord that is ultimately based on lies,” citing Iran’s ongoing claim that its nuclear activities are peaceful in nature.
Barnea added that an accord appeared to be inevitable “in light of the needs of the US and Iran.” Washington is seeking to prevent Tehran from acquiring the capability to build a nuclear bomb, while the Islamic Republic is seeking relief from crippling financial and economic sanctions.
According to Barnea, the deal, due to its sunset clauses, “gives Iran license to amass the required nuclear material for a bomb” in a few years, and will also provide Tehran billions of dollars in currently frozen money, increasing the danger Iran poses throughout the region via its proxies.
He stressed that a deal will not obligate Israel, and that the Jewish state will act however it sees fit to neutralize the threat against it. Israel has already begun preparations for a military strike against Iran if such action is deemed necessary.
“The Mossad is preparing and knows how to remove that threat,” Barnea said. “If we don’t take action, Israel will be in danger.”
Prime Minister Yair Lapid sat down for a discussion about the looming deal with Barnea earlier on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Iran announced that it had received the US’s response to its proposal for a return to the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was ditched by then-US president Donald Trump in 2018.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to characterize the administration’s response to the latest proposal, but noted that “we are closer now than we were even just a couple of weeks ago because Iran made a decision to make some concessions.”
Lapid told reporters on Thursday that Israel’s efforts to influence the outcome of negotiations had borne fruit, but that the accord was still “a bad deal” for Israel.
The prime minister pointed both to the trip to Washington this week by national security adviser Eyal Hulata for “very intensive discussions” on the issue and to Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s visit to the US, which began on Thursday.
Gantz met with US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla in Tampa, Florida, to discuss ways to increase cooperation between Israel and the US military, as well as methods for countering the Iranian threat in the Middle East.
Before departing for Washington, Gantz tweeted that the goal of his trip was “to send a clear message in regard to the negotiations between Iran and powers on the nuclear deal: A deal that does not knock Iran’s abilities back by years and does not restrain it for years ahead, is a deal that will harm global and regional security.”
While Gantz was in Washington, Iran conducted a second day of military exercises with combat drones. The drones successfully destroyed many of their intended targets during the drills, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
The Walla news site claimed that Israeli officials are slightly less worried about the possibility of the US granting major concessions to Tehran in the wake of…
Read More: Mossad chief says looming Iran deal ‘based on lies,’ is ‘very bad for Israel’