Iran

Israel trying to improve ties with Iran neighbors: Report

332730_Netanyahu-ElkinIsrael has reportedly launched a campaign to strengthen ties with Central Asian countries bordering or near Iran in the wake of a resumption of nuclear talks between Tehran and the group of six major world powers.

According to a report by Israeli website Walla News, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin held a meeting with the regime’s ambassadors to Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan – that share a border with Iran – and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Georgia on Thursday.

The meeting was held in Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi, during Ze’ev’s visit to the country.

The report said the sides discussed during the meeting the reaction of the aforementioned countries to the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russian and the US – plus Germany under the presidency of Hassan Rouhani.

Iran and the six powers held their first round of negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program under the administration of Rouhani in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15-16. Both sides have agreed to continue the talks held in the Swiss city on November 7-8.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the talks as “extensive” and “fruitful.”

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also hailed the nuclear talks as the “most detailed” and most “substantive” talks ever held between the two sides.

Despite both sides’ upbeat mood about the outcome of talks, Israel has reiterated its calls for the tightening of the sanctions against Iran.

Prior to the beginning of the talks on October 15, Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu warned the group of six powers to demand the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear energy program and the removal of enriched uranium from the country during the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has been increasing pressure on the US Senate to force the White House to tighten the sanctions against Iran.

In a statement on Saturday, the AIPAC said there would be “no pause, delay or moratorium in our efforts” to seek new sanctions on Iran.

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