SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of “trumpeting lies to poison” the Vienna talks on reviving Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with major powers.
“Israeli regime whose existence relies on tension is at it again, trumpeting lies to poison Vienna talks,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh posted on Twitter without specifying what Israeli comments he meant, according to Reuters.
He further said all parties in the negotiations faced a test of their political will to complete the job.
“All parties in the room now face a test of their independence & political will to carry out the job— irrespective of the fake news designed to destroy prospects for success.”
While it was unclear what news reports Khatibzadeh meant, a Tel Aviv-based reporter for U.S. news organization Axios on Monday reported Israel had shared intelligence over the past two weeks with the United States and several European allies suggesting that Iran is taking technical steps to prepare to enrich uranium to 90% purity, the level needed for a nuclear weapon.
In a statement after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday that Iran was trying to buy time to advance its nuclear programme and major powers needed to come up with a different approach.
“Sanctions must be reinforced and there needs to be a credible military threat because that it is the only thing that will prevent Iran from carrying out its race for a nuclear weapon,” Lapid said in a statement.
Israel has pressed for a tougher tone on Iran if diplomacy fails to curb the advancements of its nuclear programme.
Israel, itself widely believed to have nuclear weapons, has long argued that the 2015 deal was too weak to prevent Iran from pursuing a bomb.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018, describing it as too soft, and Iran responded by violating some of the deal’s restrictions. President Joe Biden’s administration aims to revive it.
Israel has also complained that the nuclear agreement does nothing to rein in Iran’s missile programme, or hostile activity by Iranian-backed militia.
(Esta Media Network/Reuters)
