A senior Israeli official confirmed Tuesday evening that Israel has not been shown the full text of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, and an official request for the document went unanswered. The development prompted an urgent meeting in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to formulate a security strategy.
A senior Israeli official confirmed Tuesday evening that Israel has not been shown the full text of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, and an official request by the State of Israel for the complete document has simply not been answered. According to the official, the total blackout on Israel has led to an urgent meeting being convened in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office aimed at formulating a security strategy.
The confirmation came hours after The Jerusalem Post reported that the United States had rejected an Israeli request to review the agreement before the signing ceremony (Tue 16:07 Jerusalem). That report followed a commentator on an Israeli-curated Arabic-language channel who earlier Tuesday (Tue 16:07 Jerusalem) alleged that the U.S. refused to share the full text, comparing the secrecy to the 2015 JCPOA. The initial report, by journalist Yaron Avraham, had stated that Israel asked for the full MOU text and was refused.
The admission underscores significant tensions between Jerusalem and Washington over the transparency of the ongoing U.S.-Iran diplomatic track. As The Zioneer reported on Monday (Mon 21:21 Jerusalem), Netanyahu said the details of a deal remain unknown. A CNN article published June 12 noted that Israel had not approved any Iran deal and that Netanyahu was reportedly surprised mid-security meeting by news of progress. This new official confirmation marks the first on-record acknowledgment of Israel being excluded from the negotiation process.
It remains unclear whether the U.S. will eventually share the document with Israel or whether any Israeli security concerns expressed in the urgent meeting will be addressed by Washington. The full extent of the agreement's clauses—and which parts may remain secret—is also unconfirmed, as Iran has allegedly insisted on hidden clauses, according to earlier channel reports.
4 developments
- StrongCNN: Israel did not approve any agreement with Iran, surprising Netanyahu in midst of security discussion
- StrongIsraeli officials say they are still mapping out full US-Iran deal details
- DevelopingNetanyahu: We still don't know what the agreement will be
- StrongSenior Israeli source dismisses expected US-Iran MOU as meaningless
Source and signal
- Internal intake