WASHINGTON, July 15. /TASS/. Israeli authorities believe that the US is pouring all its effort into resolving the situation around the Strait of Hormuz in talks with Iran while not giving any consideration to the nuclear issue, which takes priority for Israel, the Al-Monitor portal reported, citing sources in the Israeli leadership.
According to the portal's sources, the US side has moved away from trying to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue in recent weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed his concerns to US President Donald Trump regarding Washington's inaction on this problem.
"It's all about Hormuz. No one is talking about the nuclear issue. This is the worst possible outcome for us. <...> He [Netanyahu - TASS] convinced Trump more than once, but it didn't last," one of the portal's sources indicated. Al-Monitor noted that Netanyahu plans to hold talks with Trump on July 19 and try to convince the US leader to focus on Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
The US and Israel began the war on Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Subsequently, US-Iranian talks on the implementation of the memorandum were held in the Swiss resort of Buergenstock, brokered by Doha and Islamabad. As follows from a joint statement by Qatar and Pakistan following the first round of talks, the meeting, attended by representatives of Iran and the United States, was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, with encouraging progress achieved, including the establishment of a basis for further technical consultations.
However, on July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz. On July 13, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Iran never violated the memorandum signed with the United States, and all responsibility for its non-fulfillment lies with Washington.