Israeli military intelligence and senior Mossad officials told a meeting of the nation’s security cabinet that talks in Vienna between Iran and other world powers will lead the United States back to the 2015 nuclear deal, I said two officials who attended the meeting.
Why it’s important: The Israeli government is very concerned about the return of the United States to the nuclear deal and is trying to convince the Biden administration not to withdraw pressure from the Iranian regime.
Driving the news: The Mossad mainly reported at the cabinet meeting on the state of Iran’s nuclear program. Military intelligence officials discussed Iranian actions in the region at the meeting.
- The two intelligence agencies made similar assessments of the position of the Vienna talks.
What they say: “We are not very optimistic to say the least,” a senior Israeli official who attended the meeting told me. “It will not surprise us if in a few weeks the US and other world powers sign an agreement with Iran.”
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Fox News Sunday that Vienna’s talks with Iran were “constructive” and that there is a real effort to return to mutual compliance with the nuclear deal. 2015.
- Sullivan added that the US will not lift sanctions unless it has “clarity and confidence” that Iran will return fully to fulfilling all its obligations under the 2015 agreement.
What follows: Israeli officials told me that no new political decisions were made during today’s cabinet meeting, and Israel will continue the dialogue with the Biden administration on negotiations with Iran.
- In the next two weeks, Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbatt, IDF chief of staff Aviv Kochavi, Israeli military intelligence chief Tamir Hayman and Mossad director Yossi Cohen will visit Washington to talking to his counterparts about Iran, officials tell me.