Bahrain Crown Prince Calls “Israeli” PM on Iran Nuke Talks

By Staff, Agencies

Bahrain’s crown prince spoke with the “Israeli” prime minister on Thursday about the return to nuclear talks with Iran, Bahrain’s state-run news agency reported, as the US administration tries to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear accord.

Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, also the country's prime minister, stressed to “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the importance of the participation “in any negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file” to support "security and stability in the region," according to the official Bahrain News Agency.

The statement marks the first response from a Gulf Arab leader to President Joe Biden's announcement earlier this month that he was seeking a return to nuclear negotiations with Iran. Nearly three years ago, former President Donald Trump abandoned the landmark accord and re-imposed harsh sanctions on Iran. His withdrawal was welcomed by Gulf nations and the “Israeli” entity, Iran's foes in the region that are most directly threatened and staunchly opposed the deal.

The sheikhdoms in the Gulf, along with the entity, were excluded from the last nuclear negotiations and remain highly skeptical of Iran's intentions.

In Thursday's call, the Bahraini crown prince urged that any nuclear negotiations with Iran "include broader issues," without elaborating.

The readout from the entity made no mention of Washington's outreach to Tehran. It said only that the crown prince repeated his invitation for Netanyahu to visit Bahrain once the pandemic allows and that the kingdom is interested in investing jointly with other countries in a vaccine production factory planned to be located in the “Israeli” entity.

Following the United Arab Emirates, the island kingdom of Bahrain normalized relations with the entity last fall, an agreement forged out of mutual enmity for Iran.