by Dan Williams
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid intends on Tuesday to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to take a tougher and more pressing stance in talks to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, an Israeli official said.
In what is his first trip abroad since taking over the helm of a caretaker government last week, Yair Lapid will also warn that Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement is “playing with fire,” the representative added.
This visit gives Yair Lapid the opportunity to display diplomatic stature ahead of the early elections scheduled in Israel next November.
France is among the signatory countries of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or JCPOA in English) trying to save the agreement, from which the United States withdrew in 2018 before Iran began to free itself. by stages of the terms of the PAGC. Israel considers this agreement insufficient.
A senior Israeli representative told reporters that “the French are very, very active on the Iranian file”. “It’s important for us to argue our case…Israel opposes a return to the JCPOA. But we don’t oppose a deal. We want a very strong deal,” he added.
If Israel is not part of the discussions on the Iranian nuclear, the Western powers are attentive to the concerns of the Jewish State with regard to Iran, worried about a possible military measure against its great regional rival in the event diplomatic stalemate in his eyes.
“We want an end to the endless discussions,” said the Iranian high representative, referring to the indirect discussions between the United States and Iran opened in April 2021 under the aegis of the Europeans. He called for “coordinated pressure” on Tehran.
In addition, said the representative, Yair Lapid intends to present to Emmanuel Macron “new elements explaining how Hezbollah is endangering Lebanon”, a country where France has influence.
Israel on Saturday shot down three drones launched by Hezbollah at maritime oil infrastructure.
(Report Dan Williams; French version Jean Terzian)
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