US President Joe Biden arrives at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas, U.S., February 26, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst.

i24 News – US President Joe Biden reportedly told Mossad chief Yossi Cohen that the US is far from returning to the nuclear deal with Iran, according to a report on Sunday from Walla, which cited a senior Israeli official.

Cohen told Biden that it would be a mistake for the US to return to the deal without making improvements first, to which the president responded that the US had “a long way to go” before agreeing to a return to full compliance with the 2015 agreement, according to the report.

This latest report comes after talks between Cohen, Biden and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan took place last Friday.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly briefed Cohen on the talking points to raise with top US officials.

On Saturday, parties to the Iran nuclear agreement adjourned the third round of negotiations in Vienna aimed at bringing the United States back into the accord, with the Russian side expressing “cautious and growing optimism” and saying they hoped to achieve concrete results within three weeks.

The deal, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, has been on life support since then-president Donald Trump pulled out in 2018.