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Israeli PM Discusses in Cyprus the Dispute over Aphrodite Gas Field

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the accompanying delegation (AFP)
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the accompanying delegation (AFP)
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Israeli PM Discusses in Cyprus the Dispute over Aphrodite Gas Field

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the accompanying delegation (AFP)
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the accompanying delegation (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Sunday, accompanied by his wife Sarah, on a two-day visit to Cyprus to discuss the disputes over the ownership of parts of the Aphrodite gas field in the Cypriot economic waters.

Israel and Cyprus have yet to reach an agreement on the distribution of profits of the gas field since its discovery 13 years ago.

Cypriot officials expressed their dissatisfaction for failing to reach an agreement with Israel, which signed an understanding agreement with Lebanon, Tel Aviv's enemy. Israel also intends to sign a deal with Türkiye.

Cypriot officials said in a news program on the official Hebrew radio, Kan, that Israel signed an agreement with Lebanon but not with them.
The summit will also address the possibility of building a gas pipeline between Israel and Türkiye.

The former Israeli governments, headed by Naftali Bennett and then headed by Yair Lapid, conveyed a message stating that Greece and Cyprus do not support the idea.

According to the Walla website, Netanyahu aims to confirm to the Cypriot side that the alliance with Cyprus will remain strong no matter the developments in Israel's relations with Türkiye.

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Greek President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his visit.

The trip was initially planned for the end of July but was postponed due to Netanyahu's health issues and his heart pacemaker implantation.

Notably, it is Netanyahu's first trip abroad in five months, as he feared facing the protest movement against his plan to overturn Supreme Court rulings.

The protest movement received Netanyahu in Cyprus with several protests organized by Israelis residing in Cypriot cities. They are preparing to demonstrate in front of the hotel where Netanyahu intends to stay, "City of Dreams," a Chinese casino hotel recently opened in Limassol. All the meetings will be held in Nicosia.

Protesters have hung banners across the area, featuring messages such as: "Netanyahu- even in little Cyprus, you won't find rest!", "The accused is coming to Cyprus, and we'll ensure he won't have peace," and other banners.

They protested near the meetings and gatherings to disturb him and ensure he heard their voice directly.

Before leaving Tel Aviv, Netanyahu announced at Ben Gurion Airport that he would soon announce the date of his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden.

The meeting is expected to occur in New York, where he will participate in the United Nations General Assembly discussions and deliver a speech on September 21. But Netanyahu prefers the meeting at the White House, even if he is delayed in Washington.

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Iran Proposes Meeting with Europeans Before Next Talks with US, Diplomats Say 

The flags of the US and Iran hang on the road leading to the Muscat International Book fair on April 25, 2025. (AFP)
The flags of the US and Iran hang on the road leading to the Muscat International Book fair on April 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Iran Proposes Meeting with Europeans Before Next Talks with US, Diplomats Say 

The flags of the US and Iran hang on the road leading to the Muscat International Book fair on April 25, 2025. (AFP)
The flags of the US and Iran hang on the road leading to the Muscat International Book fair on April 25, 2025. (AFP)

Iran has proposed meeting the European parties to a 2015 nuclear deal possibly in Rome this Friday if talks resume with the United States, four diplomats said on Monday, cautioning that there has yet to be a response from the Europeans to the idea.

Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States that resumed in Oman on Saturday and after talks with Russia and China last week.

Omani officials have said a new round of US-Iran talks could be held on May 3 in Europe. No formal decision has been taken.

Iran's reach out to Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, suggests Tehran is keeping its options open, but also wants to assess where the Europeans stand on the possible re-imposition of UN sanctions before October, when a resolution ratifying the 2015 accord expires.

Two E3 diplomats and a Western diplomat said Iran had communicated after last Saturday's talks with the United States a proposal to meet possibly in Rome on Friday.

Should that not be possible, the Iranians also suggested discussions in Tehran before that date, the diplomats said.

The second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran took place in Rome with Iran saying serious differences remained.

An Iranian official confirmed the proposal, but said the E3 had not responded so far.

The European and Western diplomats said the E3 were assessing whether it was in their interest to meet Iran now or wait to see how talks with Washington developed, but ruled out a meeting in Tehran.

"It is important to remain on the same page with all parties to the 2015 deal. Therefore, meeting the E3 countries this week ahead of the next round of talks with Americans would be useful," said the Iranian official.

UN SANCTIONS DEADLINE

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday he was ready to travel to Europe for talks, although he suggested that the ball was in Europe's court after ties had soured between the two sides.

Since September, Tehran and the three European powers have met several times to discuss their ties and the nuclear issue.

The most recent meeting in March was held at the technical level, looking at the parameters of a future deal to secure a rollback of Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.

Trump, who abandoned the 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers during his first term in 2018, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which it denies. The threat of renewed sanctions is intended to pressure Tehran into concessions, making detailed discussions on strategy between the Americans and Europeans vital, diplomats say.

Because the United States quit the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, it cannot initiate its mechanism for reimposing sanctions, called snapback, at the United Nations Security Council.

That makes the E3 the only participants in the deal who are capable of and interested in pursuing snapback.

When asked whether the proposal to meet Europeans was about snapback, the Iranian official indicated that was partly the aim.

"Talks with the US, particularly on the nuclear steps, are not moving fast and obviously we need more time and Tehran is not much in favor of an interim deal, because of lack of trust to American side," the official said.

"What if under an interim deal, we fulfil our step and the other party does not. We need Europeans to understand that we want a new deal and we are ready to take steps to limit our enrichment but we need time."

The British and German foreign ministries declined to comment specifically on whether Iran had proposed a meeting for later this week. France's foreign ministry did not immediately respond for comment.