Israel: We Are Not Seeking More Sanctions Against Iran During Nuclear Talks

A senior Israeli government official stated that the country does not want to pressure Washington into imposing more sanctions against Tehran during the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and global powers. However, if the talks do not yield results by the deadline, Israel will seek to implement stronger measures against Tehran. Yuval Wilner, the director-general of Israel's Ministry of Intelligence, told Reuters on Thursday, December 20, 'Within the framework of the negotiations, which have been extended, we believe that the right action is to maintain strong and continuous sanctions against the Iranian regime.' He further stated, 'We are not currently seeking more sanctions. I know that no Israeli official has made such a request either formally or informally.' These remarks come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently urged global powers to use the opportunity of the extended nuclear talks to exert more pressure on Iran to eliminate its capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Netanyahu had previously welcomed the failure of the foreign ministers of Iran and the P5+1 countries to reach a nuclear agreement by the set deadline of November 24, stating, 'The agreement that Iran wants is a disaster.' However, now the director-general of the Ministry of Intelligence says that if Iran and the P5+1 do not reach an agreement by the new deadline of July 1, Israel will ask global powers to reinstate the limited sanctions that were lifted against Iran. According to him, the next U.S. Congress, which will be majority Republican, will likely support stronger actions against Iran. This Israeli official emphasized that the United States still has many options available to intensify actions against Iran. Previously, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that Iran is ready to accept 'fair and reasonable agreements,' but 'whether a nuclear agreement is reached or not, Israel will become increasingly insecure.'