Israel Assesses The ​​Restoration of 2015 Nuclear Deal Won't Be Agreed Anytime Soon

Illustration of the discussion on the recovery of the 2015 Nuclear Deal. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - Israel assesses that the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers will not be signed in the near future, citing elections in the United States, an Israeli official said Sunday.

After supporting the then US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Nuclear Deal which it deemed too limited, Israel has also advocated that the current US Administration not join the deal again.

On Saturday, Britain, France and Germany said they had "serious doubts" about Iran's intentions, after trying to link the revival of the deal to the closure of a UN watchdog investigation into uranium traces at three of its nuclear sites.

Regarding this, Tehran called the European statement 'unconstructive'.

"At this point in time, it appears that the nuclear agreement with Iran will not be signed at least until after the (US) midterm elections," the Israeli official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Some Israeli commentators saw the remarks in anticipation of US President Joe Biden's reluctance to enter into a deal close enough to the election to be used by his Republican rival in his domestic campaign against the Democrats.

Briefing Israel's cabinet on Sunday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid thanked European powers "for their candid stand".

"Israel is making successful diplomatic efforts to stop the nuclear deal and prevent the lifting of sanctions on Iran," Lapid said.

"It's not over yet. It's a long road. But there are encouraging signs," he continued.

Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has stepped up its enrichment of enriched uranium since the US withdrew from the 2018 deal.

Meanwhile, Israel is not a party to the talks on restoring the 2015 Nuclear Deal in Vienna. But his concerns about Iran and threats to take military action against its arch-foe, if diplomacy is seen as a dead end, kept Western capitals on their toes.