Senior U.S. Diplomat Accuses Israel of Deliberately Sabotaging Iran Nuclear Deal
A senior U.S. official told Fox News that Israel's Beirut strike was "a clear attempt to sabotage the president's deal and drag the United States back into war."
A senior U.S. diplomatic official involved in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran accused Israel on Sunday of intentionally trying to derail the emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran, according to an interview with Fox News.
The official, speaking in unusually blunt terms for someone involved in active diplomacy, said Israel's strike on Beirut's Dahiyeh district had created "significant difficulties and complications" on the path to a deal.
The source went further, leveling a pointed accusation at Jerusalem: "This is a clear attempt by Israel to sabotage the president's deal and drag the United States back into war."
The remarks represent a significant escalation in the behind-the-scenes tension between Washington and Jerusalem, coming just hours after President Trump publicly rebuked Israel over the Beirut strike and warned that it could jeopardize a deal he said was nearly finalized.
Israel struck Dahiyeh Sunday morning in retaliation for Hezbollah drone attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office saying the operation was a legitimate response to ceasefire violations. Israel has maintained that it notified the U.S. in advance of the strike.
The accusation that Israel was deliberately undermining the deal, however, goes well beyond frustration over timing. It reflects a deeper rupture in the U.S.-Israel relationship over the Iran nuclear track, one that has been building for weeks as negotiations have advanced and Israeli objections have grown louder.
Jay, from Open Source Intel, predicted this would happen. Here's what he said earlier today:
In my view, there is little chance Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel without a green light from the IRGC.
The IRGC knew Israel would respond.
If anything, this looks like an attempt to delay the MOU by using Hezbollah to attack Israel, then blaming Israel once it retaliates.
Trump announced Saturday that a deal would be signed Sunday. Iran subsequently indicated it had not yet made a final decision, saying it was still reviewing the agreement's political, legal, and technical dimensions. Neither government has confirmed a final text.
The terms reported in the draft agreement, including the release of $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets and oil sanctions relief before a comprehensive agreement is reached, have been a source of deep concern in Jerusalem.
Israel has long warned that any deal allowing Iran to retain its nuclear infrastructure, even in frozen form, poses an existential threat, and has lobbied Washington intensively against the current framework.