IDF Chief, Israeli President to Lobby European Leaders Against Iran Deal Starting Tuesday
by i24 News

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi delivers a statement to the press at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Nov. 12, 2019. Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90.
i24 News – IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi will reportedly lobby European leaders against the Iran nuclear deal during a scheduled trip this week to the continent, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The seasoned military veteran will also be joined by Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, with the two traveling on Tuesday to France, Germany, and Austria.
According to the Post, citing senior IDF sources, Kochavi is expected to center his talks on security-related issues, including the Iranian nuclear deal and the military threat posed by Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah.
Kochavi, the sources said, will highlight the failures of the current nuclear deal — which world powers and Tehran agreed to in 2015 — along with the ICC’s recent decision to open an investigation into Israel’s actions in the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem.
On Friday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that officials in the Biden administration initiated indirect talks with Iran through intermediaries and are now waiting for a response from the Islamic republic.
“There are communications through the Europeans and through others that enable us to explain to the Iranians what our position is, with respect to the compliance-for-compliance approach,” Sullivan told reporters.
“We’re waiting, at this point, to hear further from the Iranians how they would like to proceed,” Sullivan continued.