U.S. Official Says Israel Will Accept Iran Deal After Seeing Full Text

A senior U.S. administration official briefed reporters at the White House on Friday evening about progress in talks with Iran and said a formal agreement is expected in the coming days. The official was responding to comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel should remain free to attack Iran later and would not stop operations in Lebanon.

According to the official, the deal is broad and covers Lebanon, Iran, Gulf states and Israel. He said Washington believes all sides, including Israel, will accept it, while preserving the right to self-defense. “If Iran attacks, we are not asking them not to respond,” he said, adding that ceasefires can be complicated but that Israel and others will stand behind the agreement.

The official said President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and argued that Israel would be more comfortable once it sees the full agreement. He said Iran would have to meet its obligations before receiving any benefits, and if Tehran keeps funding missiles for Hezbollah that are fired at Israel, it will be violating the deal and will not get the promised incentives. He acknowledged Israeli skepticism because of Hezbollah attacks but said no country is expected to give up the right to self-defense.

He said the deal would achieve Trump’s goals, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, ensuring the United States receives the nuclear material to be destroyed inside Iran, and creating long-term regional peace by stopping Iranian funding for violence and preserving territorial integrity. He added that Iran would get relief from many economic sanctions and rejoin the global economy only if it complies. The official said the initial principles are detailed mainly on the Strait of Hormuz, the naval blockade and the transfer of enriched material, while other benefits will scale with Iranian compliance. He estimated the chances of a signing at about 80 percent, said the U.S. is close but not at the finish line, and noted that Israeli political leaders have instructed the IDF to avoid actions that could damage the agreement.