Netanyahu Urges US to Pressure Iran in Nuclear Negotiations

Local Editor

Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between "Israel" and its closest ally, the United States. "Israel's" prime minister on Sunday called on the US to step up pressure on Iran, even as American officials hinted at the possibility of easing tough economic pressure.

Meanwhile, a leading "Israeli" newspaper reported the outlines of what could be construed in the West as genuine Iranian compromises in the talks.
The "Israeli" PM, Binyamin Netanyahu, believes Iran is trying to trick the West into easing economic sanctions while pushing forward its nuclear program. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes.

"I think that in this situation as long as we do not see actions instead of words, the international pressure must continue to be applied and even increased," Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. "The greater the pressure, the greater the chance that there will be a genuine dismantling of the Iranian military nuclear program."
Over the weekend, US officials said the White House was debating whether to offer Iran the chance to recoup billions of dollars in frozen assets if it scales back its nuclear program. The plan would stop short of lifting sanctions, but could nonetheless provide Iran some relief.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC, treasury secretary Jack Lew said it was "premature" to talk of easing sanctions. But he stopped short of endorsing the tough "Israeli" line and suggested the US would take a more incremental approach in response to concrete Iranian gestures.

In parallel, the Yediot Ahronot daily said an "explosion" between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama appears to be inevitable. While "Israeli" officials are intrigued by the Iranian offer, it said "officials in the prime minister's inner circle harbor a deep concern ... that the American president is going to be prepared to ease sanctions on Iran even before the talks have been completed."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team