(Reuters) – Any new nuclear deal between the West and Iran should be “dramatically improved” from the previous agreement, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Wednesday.
Steinitz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged U.S. President Joe Biden to put “enormous pressure” on Iran to change its behavior and dismantle its nuclear program, which he said could affect not only the Middle East, but Europe and the United States.
“All countries in the Middle East see eye to eye that this is a devastating threat that should be prevented in advance,” Steinitz said at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit online conference, speaking alongside counterparts from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
“Iran is a big shadow,” Steinitz said referring to the effect of Iran’s actions over its neighbors Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. “They are violating all their commitments… The previous agreement is far from being sufficient.”
An eventual new agreement with the West over Iran’s nuclear program “should be dramatically improved,” he added.
(Reporting by Ron Bousso and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Marguerita Choy)
