The United States needs to ensure that it retains a viable military option against Iran’s nuclear facilities even if a new deal is reached with the Islamic Republic, Defense Minister Benny Gantz told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday.
During the meeting, Gantz stressed that Israel will also retain its operational freedom even if a deal is reached. A senior defense official said that the Americans responded positively to Gantz’s comments.
The official said that even if a deal is signed, Gantz spoke with Sullivan about the need to continue joint American-Israeli activities against Iran as part of global efforts to undermine Tehran’s nuclear progress.
“A nuclear deal is not a peace treaty,” the official said. “A military threat has a lot of weight that can help create a deterrence even in a reality in which there is a deal.”
"A nuclear deal is not a peace treaty"
Senior defense official
Officials in Gantz’s circle of advisers are of the opinion that the decision by the Trump administration to exit the JCPOA – the previous nuclear deal signed in 2015 – was a mistake.
According to the official, the defense minister expressed his strong opposition to the proposed deal, adding that while there is disagreement with the Americans on it, the US and Israel have a strong alliance and “it is legitimate to have disagreements.”
Does the deal serve Israel's national security interests?
During the talks on Friday, Gantz walked away with a feeling that Israel has succeeded in influencing the American position on the deal that is being negotiated, but that the proposal is still far away from serving Israel’s national security interests.
Israel is particularly concerned with two issues: The sunset clauses and the date from which the Iranians will be allowed to reactivate their centrifuges, as well as the hundreds of billions of dollars that will flow to the Islamic Republic – due to the lifting of sanctions – and help fuel terrorist in the Middle East.
“There are still ways to make the deal longer and stronger,” the official said.
Interestingly, the official said that due to the deal, Israel’s influence in the region has been bolstered and that other countries in the Middle East are now looking to Israel to help them try to influence the Americans.