Not bound by nuke deals, will take action against Iran if needed: Bennet
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Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett (file photo)
Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennet warned on Monday that his administration would take action against Iran if the need arises regardless of any nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, Arab News reported.
Bennet said that Israel is bound by no written-signed agreements. He said that the Israel administration is concerned about the Vienna talks. He wants to clarify that Israel is not party to any contracts, and it will continue maintaining complete freedom of action without regard to place, time or constraints.
Bennet's statement comes when the talks about the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA), a 2015 deal to lift economic sanctions on Iran in return for curbing the Islamist nation's nuclear programmes, is going on in Vienna. The 2015 deal was signed by Iran, the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.
But the deal was doused off in 2018 by the Trump administration in the United States, which heavily impacted Iran's economy. Since then, Iran has been accumulating fissile uranium and has reached quantities prohibited by the agreement. The negotiations on reinstating the deal in 2015 started again after being suspended in June when Iran elected its new president. Israel opposed the deal but stated that it only supports one that it feels safe and strictly checks Iran's nuclear programmes.
However, on Monday, the Iran foreign ministry said that great progress had been made in the latest round of Vienna talks on removing sanctions, nuclear issues, verification, and obtaining guarantees. Iran is seeking a stable and reliable agreement, but it is not after an unstable deal if the other party goes for the same for their benefit, the ministry said.
The US is involved in the talks indirectly to enter the accord and make Iran adhere to its 2015 deal commitments. French administration informed last week that the negotiations are gaining a positive path though a speedy conclusion is needed. Some of the parties think that the interval for concluding the deal is so small since Iran has sped up its nuclear fuel gathering.