Differences between the US and Israel arise over Iran during the visit of the US Defence Minister to Israel

Washington/ Jerusalem – The US announced sanctions on 39 Iranian companies related to drones and energy truncations. This announcement came after Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defence, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel. It is claimed that there were stark differences between the two in the meeting over Iran. The US feels that the issue of Iran’s nuclear program can be resolved through political dialogue, whereas Israel believes that only military action can prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Commission released a report on Iran’s nuclear program, which confirms that Iran has progressed to enriching uranium necessary for a nuclear weapon. Military analysts claim that Iran can possess a nuclear weapon any time soon. Israel is yet to comment on this. Senior leaders of Israel were planning to visit the US and meet the Biden administration on this, but the US Secretary of Defence decided to visit the middle east.

Moreover, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin first visited Iraq, then Egypt, and landed in Israel. On Wednesday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Austin said a political option could be used to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear program and that the Biden administration stands committed to revitalizing Iran’s nuclear deal of 2015. However, Israel’s Defence Minister Gallant reiterated that there is no possibility of Israel changing its stand on Iran.

While indicating possible military action, the Israeli Defence Minister said they would take every action to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed any negotiations with Iran on the nuclear deal as there is no assurance that Iran will abide by the deal and not develop a nuclear weapon.

Plenty of reports suggested that Israel was preparing for military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Israel’s Defence chief has ordered the Air Force to be ready for an attack. Therefore, it seems the US Secretary of Defence has visited Israel to prevent Israel from attacking Iran. However, as per international media, the visit of Lloyd Austin was not fruitful.

Under such circumstances, the US Treasury Department immediately announced new sanctions against Iran to crack down on Iranian companies operating through shadow banking from Hong Kong to the UAE on Thursday. However, Israel believes that sanctions will not deter Iran’s nuclear program.

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