Israel indicated on Tuesday that it may not communicate with US President Joe Biden about its strategy to deal with Iran's nuclear program, and urged tougher sanctions against Tehran and a "credible military warning" to it.
This came in the words of Israel's envoy to Washington at a sensitive time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is preparing to fight his re-election battle next month.
Netanyahu again used a sharp tone toward Iran, while no direct contact took place between him and Biden so far.
The new US administration has said it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal if the Iranians return to fulfill their obligations.
Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
Washington has also said it wants to consult its allies in the Middle East about such moves.
"We will not be able to participate in such a process if the new administration returns to that agreement," Ambassador Gilad Erdan told Israeli Army Radio.
Backfire?
In informal conversations, Netanyahu's aides have raised questions about whether communicating with their American counterparts would be counterproductive to Israel by giving the wrong signal that it agreed to any new agreement when it opposes it.
Israel was not a party to the 2015 agreement, but it has strong supporters in the US Congress, and Netanyahu's threats of unilateral military action against Iran also fall into the great powers' calculations.
"We believe that if the United States returns to the same agreement from which it has already withdrawn, it will lose all its power," Erdan said.
"It seems that imposing obstructive sanctions - by maintaining the current sanctions and even imposing new ones - in addition to issuing a credible military warning - which is what Iran fears - is what could bring Iran into real negotiations with Western countries that may eventually lead to an agreement. Really able to stop it from going ahead "in producing nuclear weapons.
The Biden administration has said it wants to tighten and prolong restrictions on Iran.
Tehran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.
Spiky coil
A few days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed the Chairman of the National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabat, to be responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear file, in conjunction with international efforts to revive the nuclear agreement with Tehran and the new US administration's desire to return to it.
The Israeli news site Walla quoted officials as saying that Ben Shabat will lead talks with the administration of US President Joe Biden, world powers and regional partners about the Iran nuclear deal.
The sources added that Ben Shabat recently held a lengthy meeting, via video communication system, with US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, during which they discussed the Iranian file and a number of other regional issues.
It was reported that Netanyahu will hold a high-level meeting in the coming weeks on Iran, with the participation of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and senior officials from security, intelligence and foreign policy institutions.