US report accuses Netanyahu of hindering talks with Iran

A report published by The New York Times on Wednesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to hinder negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear issue, while his office denied the allegations.

The American newspaper said in its report that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wary of a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear program, continues to press for military action that would upend President Trump’s push for a negotiated deal.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office denied in a brief statement on Wednesday that Netanyahu was trying to obstruct the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, calling The New York Times’ report “fake news.”

In its report, the American newspaper quoted unnamed officials briefed on the situation as saying, “As the Trump administration tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been threatening to upend the talks by striking Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities.”

The newspaper noted that “The clash over how best to ensure that Iran cannot produce a nuclear weapon has led to at least one tense phone call between President Trump and Mr Netanyahu and a flurry of meetings in recent days between top administration officials and senior Israeli officials.”

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It also reported tension during a series of meetings held in recent days between senior US administration officials and senior Israeli officials, for the same reasons, without elaborating further.

Israel is not participating in the negotiations between the US and Iran, which Washington has described as productive and is moving toward reaching an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Israel, however, insists that the best solution is the military option.

The Sultanate of Oman is mediating the negotiations between the US and Iran to resolve major disagreements related to the Iranian nuclear issue.

Five rounds of negotiations have been held between Tehran and Washington to date, three of which were held in the Omani capital, Muscat.

Iran seeks to lift sanctions imposed on it in exchange for reducing some of its nuclear activities, without affecting its right to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

These developments come amid a prolonged stalemate in nuclear negotiations between Iran and Western powers, since Washington withdrew from the agreement during Trump’s first term in 2018, amid repeated attempts by both sides to revive it with new conditions.

READ: Iran rejects temporary suspension of uranium enrichment amid nuclear deal talks