Britain and France have rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to undermine the Iranian nuclear deal.
European allies said the Israeli Prime Minister had failed to present evidence that Iran had violated the deal, but in presenting intelligence about past weapons research had demonstrated exactly why the deal to rein in its nuclear activities was needed.
Mr Netanyahu made the presentation from the Defence Ministry on Tuesday. He showed half a tonne of files said to have been seized by Israeli spies from Iran’s atomic archives.
His intervention comes as a deadline approaches for US President Donald Trump to decide whether to extend the deal — as its six other signatories have urged him to do. Britain, France and Germany are trying to persuade him not to rip up the deal, which imposed inspections on Iran in return for fewer sanctions.
Allies said Mr Netanyahu had failed to present evidence that Iran had violated the deal and, in showing off the intelligence trove about its former weapons research, had demonstrated exactly why a deal to rein in Tehran’s nuclear activities was needed.
Read the article by Catherine Philp in The Australian (from The Times).