Bahrain Discusses US-Iran Talks With Israel’s Netanyahu

 

Bahrain wants nuclear negotiations with Iran to include regional countries

Dave DeCamp 

Posted onFebruary 25, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsBahrain, Iran, Israel

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and discussed potential talks between the US and Iran.

According to the  Bahrain News Agency, Khalifa, who is also Bahrain’s prime minister, stressed to Netanyahu “the importance of the participation of regional countries in any negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file.”

Like other regional countries, Bahrain wants in on any future nuclear talks between the US and Iran, although Tehran has rejected the idea. Iran is in favor of dialogue with its neighbors but doesn’t want the US to be involved. Tehran is seeking a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and its original signatories.

Khalifa also said any new nuclear talks with Iran should “include broader issues,” a common demand of opponents of the JCPOA. Since Bahrain normalized relations with Israel last fall, the two countries have been united in opposition to the original agreement.

According to a report from Axios, the US and Israel are set to begin talks on Iran through a forum known as the “working group.” The working group is headed by both nations’ national security advisors.

While President Biden has said he favors a revival of the JCPOA, his administration has not made a sincere effort to do so. So far, the crippling economic sanctions left on Iran by the Trump administration are still in place.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/02/25/bahrain-discusses-us-iran-talks-with-israels-netanyahu/