The Iran nuclear program's heavy-water reactor at Arak. A US official traveled to Israel in an attempt to revive talks on a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons. Photo: Nanking2012 via Wikimedia Commons.

Times of Israel – The United States has sent a top official to Israel amid an effort to revive talks on a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons, a central issue of a landmark treaty review conference that some fear will end Friday without progress on global disarmament.

The State Department confirmed that the assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation was in Israel to discuss the issue. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman declined comment on Thomas Countryman’s visit, saying it was a “very sensitive” matter.

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