WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) – The Biden administration informed Israel in advance that it planned to announce on Thursday it was ready to talk to Iran about Washington and Tehran returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Biden’s aides wanted to avoid blindsiding Israel, Iran‘s regional arch-foe, over the U.S. plans, which included telling the U.N. Security Council the new administration was rescinding former President Donald Trump’s assertion that all U.N. sanctions had been reimposed on Iran in September.
But President Joe Biden did not directly inform Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the shift in U.S./Iran policy when they spoke for the first time on Wednesday, the source said.
Netanyahu has made clear he strongly opposes a U.S. return to the nuclear deal with Iran.
(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick Editing by Chris Reese)
