- The New York Times reported that Netanyahu threatened to derail negotiations on the US-Iran nuclear deal by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
JERUSALEM: Israel on Thursday rejected a New York Times report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to derail talks on the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal by attacking Iran's main uranium enrichment facilities.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement in response to the article, which simply said: “Fake news.”
Citing officials briefed on the situation, the New York Times reported that Israeli officials are concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump is so eager to reach a deal with Iran that it would allow Tehran to keep its uranium enrichment facilities, a red line for Israel.
The statement said Israel was particularly concerned about the possibility of any temporary deal that would allow Iran to maintain its nuclear facilities for months or even years until a final agreement was reached.
The report says US officials are concerned that Israel could decide to strike Iran without warning, saying US intelligence estimates suggest Israel could strike Iran in as little as seven hours.
The document also said Israeli officials warned their American counterparts that Netanyahu could order a strike on Iran even if a successful diplomatic deal was reached.
The newspaper reported that Netanyahu's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and the head of the Mossad foreign intelligence service David Barnea met with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Rome on Friday.
They then traveled to Washington to meet with CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Monday, and then Dermer met again with Witkoff on Tuesday.
One of the main stumbling blocks in the talks between US and Iranian officials has been the US insistence that it abandon its uranium enrichment facilities, a demand Iran rejects.
On Monday, U.S. Interior Secretary Kristi Noem said she had a “very frank conversation” with Netanyahu about negotiations with Iran.
She said she told the Israeli prime minister that Trump had asked her to convey “how important it is that we remain united and let this process play out.”
This month, Trump sidelined Israel during his trip to the Middle East and made policy statements that have shaken Israel's perceptions of its relationship with the United States.
Netanyahu has dismissed suggestions of a rift with the US administration, while Trump has also dismissed any hints of a break.
