Joe Biden's campaign promise to get the US back into the Iran nuclear deal has yet to bear fruit, with Washington demanding that Tehran reduce its enrichment activities first. In the meantime, media reports suggest that israel – the Middle East's only alleged nuclear weapons state, is engaged in major construction at its Dimona research facility.
The Israeli military is “currently working to build up” its forces “and is preparing itself for any scenario, including one in which we would need to take operational action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” Defence Minister Benny Gantz said, his remarks cited by the Times of israel.
Gantz, who also serves as Israel's alternate prime minister, said the military preparations were being taken in parallel with Tel Aviv's diplomatic efforts to pressure the Biden administration into modifying the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iran nuclear deal, if not scrapping it entirely.
Iran maintains that it has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons, and has warned both the Trump and Biden administrations that it will not accept any effort to modify the terms of the JCPOA in any way. The US has a binary choice – take the deal or leave it, according to Tehran.
Gantz's Soft Line
The defence minister's comments on the prospects of a US return to the JCPOA differ from sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called…