Haaretz: The U.S. Provides Less Information to Israel About Iran Negotiations

A senior Israeli official told Haaretz that the U.S. has reduced the scope, depth, and quality of information regarding nuclear talks with Iran that it previously shared with the Israeli government. According to the February 15 issue of Haaretz, the Obama administration is concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might use the information provided by Washington for his political interests. The official added that it seems the U.S. and Israeli governments have experienced a 'conflict of interests' regarding Iran. The Israeli government, led by Netanyahu, strongly opposes a potential agreement between world powers and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, claiming that such an agreement paves the way for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Besides the U.S., it is reported that Germany, France, and Britain, three European powers involved in negotiations with Iran, have also kept the Israeli government informed about the talks. However, Haaretz noted that one of the main concerns of the U.S. for reducing the information shared with Israel is the 'leak' of this information. The report states that 'concerns about undermining' the 1+5 nuclear negotiations with Iran are other reasons for the U.S. decision. For instance, it has been mentioned that in recent weeks, one of the proposals made by Iran in the nuclear talks regarding centrifuges that Tehran could retain after a final agreement surfaced in Israeli media. It appears that the Obama administration believes this was an attempt by Netanyahu to weaken the nuclear talks. The nuclear negotiations involving Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia, and Germany are expected to reach a comprehensive and final solution regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program by July 1, 2015, ensuring that the program continues and that world powers are assured it remains peaceful and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has stated that a political agreement must be reached by early April for a final agreement, but Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasized that agreement on details and generalities must be achieved in one stage. Haaretz quoted its Israeli source as saying that American officials are still meeting with their Israeli counterparts and keeping them informed about the nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic, but they will do so with 'lower transparency.' The relationship between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations has experienced tensions in recent months, to the point that it has been announced that the U.S. President will not meet with the Israeli Prime Minister during his upcoming visit to the United States for a speech to Congress.