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The debate in Israel about Iran nuclear deal

Why the Iran nuclear deal has more supporters in Israel than you might imagine

In 2015, an agreement between Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- gave Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, claiming it failed to curtail Iran鈥檚 missile program and regional influence. President Biden wants to revive the deal and for a year and a half, European and Iranian negotiators have met in Vienna, for more than eight rounds of talks, with the US participating indirectly, to try and find an agreement where Washington and Tehran would return to compliance with the deal -- and a final text is being studied by all sides.

This week, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz repeated calls to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities during a meeting with US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in Washington. But there are many in Israel who think the Iran nuclear deal might be the best option available. Alon Pinkas is a senior writer on Israeli and American politics for Haaretz. A former diplomat, he served as a foreign policy adviser to multiple foreign and prime ministers.

(Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid speaks at a security briefing about Iran for the foreign press at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Israel, 24 August 2022. Credit: EPA)

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9 minutes