Khaberni - In a sensitive timing before the crucial rounds of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found himself compelled to advance the date of his visit to the "White House" to clarify what Israel wants to result from the American-Iranian talks, according to the Israeli site Ynet.
The site mentioned that Netanyahu will meet with American President Donald Trump as soon as this upcoming Wednesday.
Ynet explained that Netanyahu's aim from this visit is to ensure the protection of Israeli interests in the negotiations between the United States and Iran, noting that there are concerns in Tel Aviv about a scenario where the agreement is limited to the nuclear file only, ignoring other threats posed by Iran to Israel.
Ynet, the news site for the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, pointed out that the list of Israeli demands crafted by the Israeli security establishment aims to ensure that the American-Iranian negotiations do not deviate from the path drawn by Tel Aviv, which consists of 4 points:
• First, the elimination of the nuclear program: Israel demands not only a halt to enrichment but a complete dismantling of the nuclear infrastructure, and shipping all enriched uranium stocks out of Iranian territory.
• Second, reducing missile range: In a diplomatic precedent, Israel presses for imposing a restriction on the range of Iranian ballistic missiles to a maximum of 300 kilometers only, which practically means stripping Tehran of its capability to strike deep into Israeli territory.
• Third, stopping support for resistance: The Israeli demand stipulates that any agreement includes an explicit clause preventing Tehran from arming or funding what Israel considers its "regional arms", specifically Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi group in Yemen.
• Fourth, close monitoring: This means the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors with absolute powers including the sudden inspection of any Iranian military or civilian site without restriction or condition.
What concerns Israel?
Despite the optimistic language that pervades the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, a report by the right-wing newspaper Israel Hayom revealed deep apprehensions residing in the Israeli political corridor, and according to the newspaper, what concerns Israel can be summed up in the following points:
• First, Trump's excessive pragmatism: Israel fears that Trump may lean towards “making a quick deal” focusing only on the nuclear file to market it as a political achievement, ignoring the ballistic missile file and regional interventions, which Tel Aviv calls a "half agreement".
• Second, the American “carrot” strategy: There is Israeli apprehension that recent negotiations in Oman between the American envoy Steve Whitkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi could lead to easing sanctions in exchange for "cosmetic" Iranian concessions on enrichment, which would revive Iran's economy and allow Tehran to continue supporting its allies.
• Third, American military withdrawal: The Israeli security establishment fears that reaching any agreement - however incomplete - might lead to a reduction in American military presence in the region, leaving Israel alone to face the "waves of drones and missiles" that Iran is rapidly developing, the latest being the "Khorramshahr 4" missile.
And according to the report, the real Israeli concern is not just about the nuclear bomb, but about an agreement that grants Iran international legitimacy as a regional power while retaining its missile arsenal that can reach Tel Aviv.
