Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Thursday that he was not opposed to any deal with Iran, but that the one being considered at the moment is "bad".
Speaking at his Yesh Atit Party event, Lapid said his government shared the opinion of the previous cabinet on this matter.
"Defense Minister Benny Gantz left last night for Washington and National Security Council head Eyal Hulata had just returned from his meetings there, and some of our positions have already been accepted. We will continue our dialogue with the administration," Lapid said.
Lapid said the U.S. signed the 2015 nuclear deal because of what he described as then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "outrageous speech" in Congress, which prompted the administration to remove Israel from discussions ahead of the decision to finalize the agreement.
"Things are different today," Lapid said. "We are working with the American government with patients and determination and that shows results,” he said.
An Israeli official described Hulata's meetings in D.C. as “very good and said the public pressure was beneficial. The Americans made it clear they would not allow Iran’s open cases with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to be closed without investigation," the official said. "Hulata’s meetings were beneficial and constructive and we managed to strengthen America’s position against Iran on many important topics for us, such as the IAEA investigations and indirect sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said.
“This is not over. We will see how the Iranians respond," the official said. "They will surely try to stall for more time and ask for another round of talks. But we feel that we managed to have an effect and it seems the Americans understand our concerns,” he said.
"It would give Iran a hundred billion dollars a year. This money will not build schools or hospitals. This is a hundred billion dollars a year that will be used to undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terror around the globe,” Lapid told the foreign press briefing in Jerusalem.
According to Israeli officials, efforts were underway to arrange a call between Lapid and U.S. President Joe Biden on the subject, expected to take place after Biden returns from his vacation.