Israel Worries Trump May Accept Partial Iranian Uranium Deal

Israeli officials fear that Donald Trump will settle for diluting Iran’s enriched uranium rather than removing it from the country, according to a report aired Friday on Channel 12’s “Ulvam Shishi.” In the circle around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the concern is that any emerging deal could resemble the Obama-era agreement. A senior American official said the chances of a signing in the next few days were 85%.

The Israeli concern is that key demands have been dropped from the talks, including a requirement for zero uranium enrichment and the issue of Iran’s ballistic missiles. One Netanyahu aide said, “The big fear is that Trump will do to us what Obama did.” Israeli officials say Trump is abandoning the red lines he set and is favoring a path of dilution, not removal, of enriched uranium.

The report also said Iran wants language that would let it treat attacks on the Dahiya district like attacks on Nabatieh and Tyre, meaning Israel’s strikes there could be portrayed as a ceasefire violation. To address that, negotiators are trying to preserve a clause affirming Israel’s right to defend itself. U.S. officials say that right will remain intact under any deal.

In a conference call with reporters, the senior U.S. official said Iran would receive economic relief only after it carries out its commitments. “We expect there to be a signing in the coming days,” he said, adding that the deal was not yet final but was very close. He put the odds at 85%, said U.S. President Trump spoke with Netanyahu the day before, and stressed that no country would be expected to give up self-defense. He also said Washington and Jerusalem are discussing the details and that Israel’s concerns stemmed partly from inaccurate reports in Iranian media.