Israel won’t join Iran peace talks, will abide by Trump’s decision: Israel Consul General

The US has reportedly prepared a 15-point plan laying out its terms and conditions for a peaceful talk. Though Iran hasn’t officially accepted its engagement in any peace talks with Washington, reports suggest that Iran has made the US aware of its conditions, contradictory to Trump’s conditions.

CNBC-TV18 spoke to Yaniv Revach, Israel Consul General, Mumbai, about the peace talks, the Strait of Hormuz and other aspects of the West Asia conflict

Talking about the peace talks claimed by Donald Trump, Yaniv Revach said, “We were informed in advance about the peace talks. We were made aware of the terms and conditions. We are not happy with all the conditions, for example, letting Iran maintain clean nuclear energy, but we will abide by Donald Trump’s decision.”
He further said that Donald Trump will be the one to negotiate the terms of the ceasefire, and even if Israel doesn’t agree with all the conditions, it will get on board.

“According to the last information we got, peace talks are likely to happen tomorrow in Pakistan,” he added.

Disruption of waterways and Strait of Hormuz

Revach said that the US and Israel had prepared a plan to minimise Iran’s control and retaliatory action concerning the Strait of Hormuz, before attacking Iran.

“We did make a plan,” he said, adding, “what you see now is the minimised impact on the Strait of Hormuz, and it’s because of that plan.”

When asked whether the two countries had contemplated the impact of the conflict in West Asia on the global community, including countries like India, especially due to the waterway disruption, Revach said, “We contemplated and considered every angle.”

He added, “We understand India’s challenges during this conflict, but Iran is a greater threat to the region, and the strikes were necessary to stabilise the region.”

Revach said any US boots on the ground would be focused on targeted operations, like around key infrastructure such as Kharg Island. He did not clarify whether Israel would also deploy ground forces, but said the country would provide all necessary cooperation and support.

Reacting to Iranian strikes on Gulf countries and former US President Donald Trump’s remark that no one had anticipated such attacks, Revach said, “We had informed the US that Iran will attack the Gulf countries.”

We will not do anything without US permission

Earlier this week, Trump had assured that Iran’s energy infrastructure would not be targeted for at least the next five days. However, within 48 hours of giving the statement, the IAEA said that Iran informed the agency that the Bushehr nuclear plant was attacked.

On this, Revach said that the attack had taken place before Trump’s announcement and not after that.

“We will not do anything without US permission,” he added.

Yaniv Revach denied the allegations of Israel and the US weaponising and training Kurds for a possible ground invasion.