Stormy call… American anger at Israeli leaks about Iran

Axios news website quoted US and Israeli officials as saying today, Wednesday, that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had expressed concern over Israel leaking information to the media about indirect talks between Washington and Tehran.

“storm call”

The site reported that this came during a “strongly worded” phone call between Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, which took place last week.

The website quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Sullivan, in his phone call with Hanegbi, expressed his frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks to the Knesset that the United States is working to reach a “mini-deal” with Iran.

“miniature deal”

Earlier this month, Axios reported that Netanyahu told a Knesset committee that US President Joe Biden’s administration had held indirect talks with Iran about a “mini-deal” or “understanding” regarding its nuclear program.

He added that Netanyahu said that the “understanding” being discussed includes Tehran’s commitment not to enrich uranium above the level of 60% in return for Washington’s release of billions of dollars in frozen funds and a prisoner exchange deal, according to five Israeli lawmakers who attended the meeting.

settlement expansion

On the other hand, the US National Security Adviser expressed, in his contact with Hanegbi, his deep concern over the Israeli government’s decisions regarding the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the attacks launched by settlers on the Palestinians, according to (Axios) an Israeli official quoted.

And yesterday, Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli government’s approval of building 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank, and considered this a “disregard” of international and American positions.