Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his opposition to any interim agreement between the US and Iran regarding Tehran's nuclear program, warning that it "just pave Iran's way to the bomb and will pad it with hundreds of millions of dollars."
Iranian and Western officials said Washington, Israel's main ally, was in talks with Tehran to outline steps to curb Iran's nuclear program.
Media reports stated that the two nations are reaching an "understanding" rather than an agreement, which requires a US Congress review, such as the 2015 deal that former President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
Reuters quoted a Western official last week saying that the US objective is to keep the nuclear situation from worsening and avoid a potential clash between Israel and Iran.
"If (the) Iranians miscalculate, the potential for a strong Israeli response is something we want to avoid," the official said.
- Strict opposition
The Israeli government website quoted Netanyahu as saying at the opening of the weekly meeting: "We made clear to our American friends time after time, and I am doing it again today, that we oppose agreements, first of all to the original agreement called the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which will just pave Iran's way to the bomb and will pad it with hundreds of millions of dollars."
He reiterated that his "principled opposition" to the JCPOA contributed to the United States not returning to that agreement.
"We also tell [the Americans] that more limited understandings, what's called a 'mini-deal,' does not serve our purpose, in our opinion, and we oppose that, as well," he said.
The PM stressed that Israel would do whatever it needed to do on its own to defend itself from Iranian aggression, whether on the nuclear file or its proxies.
Netanyahu's remarks came after a senior member of the Knesset confirmed that Israel might accept an understanding between Iran and the US if that included strict supervision of Tehran's nuclear program.
Head of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Yuli Edelstein told Channel 12 that it is not a "wide-scope agreement," and it's more like a small agreement or a memorandum of understanding.
"I think Israel can live with this if there is real supervision."
- Uranium enrichment
One of the key elements of the potential understanding, which is still uncertain, is the degree to which Iran would agree to limit its uranium enrichment.
A Western official said the idea was to create a status quo acceptable for all, getting Iran to avoid the Western redline of enriching to 90 percent purity, commonly viewed as weapons grade, and possibly even to "pause" its enrichment at 60 percent.
In addition to the 60 percent pause, the official told Reuters last week that both are discussing more Iranian cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not installing more advanced centrifuges in return for the "substantial transfer" of Iranian funds held abroad.
He did not specify whether the pause meant Iran would commit not to enriching above 60 percent or whether it would stop enriching to 60 percent itself.
- Disparity within Netanyahu's close circle
Israeli officials within Netanyahu's inner circle gave mixed views on the issue.
Netanyahu's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said Israel didn't see as much "damage" in any new understanding as there was in the 2015 deal, but it was "poised" for any Iranian shift to more than 60 percent fissile purity.
"That would already be a clear acknowledgment that the uranium enrichment is for weapons needs," Hanegbi told Israel Hayom Friday, referring to the 90% fissile purity required for a bomb.
But last week, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who accompanied Hanegbi to Washington talks about Iran, voiced misgivings about any "freeze" of current enrichment levels.
"It means that you reconcile with a higher level of enrichment in Iran. And we thought that was a bad idea then, and we think it's a bad idea today," he said.
After failing to revive the 2015 agreement, US President Joe Biden's administration hopes to re-impose some restrictions on Iran to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel and trigger an arms race in the region.
The US government denies reports it is seeking an interim agreement with Tehran, which denies it wants to build a nuclear bomb.
Last week, State Department spokesman Matt Miller denied several times that there was any deal with Iran.
However, he said Washington wanted Tehran to ease tensions, curb its nuclear program, stop supporting regional groups carrying out attacks, halt supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, and release detained US citizens.
"We continue to use diplomatic engagements to pursue all of these goals," Miller added without giving details.
An Iranian official told Reuters last week that the two sides wanted to prevent further escalation and that the steps would include exchanging prisoners and releasing part of Iran's frozen assets.
The official said further steps include US sanctions waivers for Iran to export oil in return for ceasing 60 percent uranium enrichment and greater Iranian cooperation with the IAEA.
