US tries to calm Israel and Arab allies ahead of possible Iran nuclear deal

Biden administration has been working to restore 2015 nuclear deal, which curbed Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for billions in sanctions relief

US Secretary of State Blinken in desert meeting with Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, UAE, Egypt; says US still committed to no Tehran nuclear weapon

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and US Secretary of state Antony Blinken address the media following a meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Published: 10:23pm, 27 Mar 2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday tried to soothe the fears of Israel and its Gulf Arab allies ahead of the possible renewal of global powers’ international nuclear deal with Iran.

Blinken made the comments soon before joining his counterparts from Israel and four Arab countries at a special gathering where the Iranian nuclear deal was expected to top the agenda.

Israel and many of its neighbours are fiercely opposed to the deal, which they believe with embolden and enrich Iran.

“When it comes to the most important element, we see eye-to-eye,” Blinken told a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Jerusalem. “We are both committed, both determined that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.”

Israels Defence Minister Benny Gantz (R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem Sunday before talks with Arab foreign ministers sceptical of a nuclear pact with Iran. Photo: AFP

The Biden administration has been working to renew the 2015 nuclear deal, which placed curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief. With support from Israel, the Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018, causing it to unravel.