Bibi to Press Trump on Quitting Iran Deal, But Military Leadership Divided

Local Editor

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to press US President Donald Trump to scrap the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran when the two leaders meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week despite reservations among top officials in the "Israeli" entity's military and intelligence community, Haaretz reported Friday.

The entity's debate on the issue mirrors that taking place within Trump's administration, which is currently weighing the fate of the deal ahead of a mid-October deadline by which the US must certify whether or not Iran had upheld its commitments under the accord.

A report by the Haaretz daily on Friday citing anonymous senior regime and war officials said that while Netanyahu and War Minister Avigdor Lieberman believe the US quitting the deal to be in the entity's best interest, experts in "Israel's" Military Intelligence, the IOF's Planning Directorate, the Mossad, the Foreign Ministry, and the Atomic Energy Committee believe otherwise.

According to the report, those military and intelligence bodies which are concerned with Iran concur that Iran has not been found in violation of the 2015 deal, which saw the US and six world powers lift crippling economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.

They suggest that Iran's compliance with the accord gives it an advantage in the opinion of the international community, and furthermore, that an American withdrawal would not isolate Iran nor expose it to new international sanctions, with other world powers unlikely to follow the US in quitting the accord.

"Like in the United States, we have disagreements on this issue," an "Israeli" official told Haaretz. "If you ask Netanyahu and Lieberman, they see eye-to-eye with each other, but the security establishment doesn't necessary share their views."

"Israeli" officials said that Netanyahu and the entity's ambassador in Washington, Ron Dermer, are urging Trump and his top advisers not to recertify the agreement and declare Iran in noncompliance, Haaretz reports.

Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the deal, on Thursday extended the nuclear-related sanctions relief under the accord. But the long-term future of the deal is far from decided.

The fate of the deal is likely to be discussed when Netanyahu and Trump meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Both leaders are also set to deliver addresses at the forum which will likely reference the subject.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team