Iran has accused Israel of sabotaging negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani claimed Israel is attempting to “destabilise the region” after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The Israeli leader has reportedly been urging the US president impose the strictest-possible terms in any agreement reached with Tehran in nuclear talks.
Commenting on the nuclear discussions with the US, Larijani told Al Jazeera: “Our negotiations are exclusively with the United States – we are not engaged in any talks with Israel.
“However, Israel has inserted itself into this process, with their intent on undermining and sabotaging these negotiations.”
He added that he believes Israel’s agenda “extends beyond its alleged concerns about Iran”, and claimed it wanted to “destabilise the region”
“They are gambling not only with Iran, but also Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” he added, warning regional leaders to “be aware of this.”
Israel has yet to respond to the security chief’s remarks.
Following the meeting in Washington, Trump said no ‘definitive’ agreement was reached on how to move forward with Iran, but he insisted negotiations with Tehran would continue to see if a deal can be achieved.
Netanyahu, who had been expected to press Trump to widen diplomacy with Iran beyond its nuclear program to include limits on its missile arsenal, stressed that Israel’s security interests must be taken into account but offered no sign that the president made the commitments he sought.
”The Prime Minister emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to continue their close coordination and tight contact,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after Wednesday’s talks.
Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war as the US amasses forces in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian insisted that his nation was “not seeking nuclear weapons … and are ready for any kind of verification”.
In a speech marking the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Republic, Pezeshkian said: “The high wall of mistrust that the United States and Europe have created through their past statements and actions does not allow these talks to reach a conclusion.
”At the same time, we are engaging with full determination in dialogue aimed at peace and stability in the region alongside our neighbouring countries.”
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan – who has been involved in the talks between the US and Iran – also said both sides are showing flexibility.
He told the Financial Times: “It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries.
“The Iranians now recognise that they need to reach a deal with the Americans, and the Americans understand that the Iranians have certain limits. It’s pointless to try to force them.”
