Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem Sunday. The two are expected to discuss the Iran nuclear deal and the Islamic Republic’s presence in Syria.
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Netanyahu is placing significant importance on the fact that Israel is among the stops in Pompeo’s first foreign trip as secretary of state.
Pompeo, a former CIA director, is thought to be a key supporter of the Netanyahu government’s politics, and he holds hawkish views on Iran. His appointment was seen as a step toward a tougher American policy regarding Tehran, with U.S. President Donald Trump recently vowing to cancel the Iran nuclear deal if significant changes are not made.
The meeting is set to occur less than two weeks before the May 12 deadline for Trump to decide whether to re-impose sanctions against Iran that were removed as part of the deal on its nuclear program.
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Read more: On Iran deal, Macron tries to save Trump and Netanyahu from themselves ■ Trump’s resolve to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal hands Tehran a key diplomatic win
Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia Saturday, where he is slated to meet with the Saudi king, crown prince and foreign minister just weeks ahead of several key dates that could further roil the volatile region.
After leaving Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Pompeo will fly to Israel and Jordan before ending his first trip abroad as America’s top diplomat.
Officials travelling with Pompeo say he will use the trip to call on European and other nations to impose further sanctions against Iran. They said he’d also stress the U.S. commitment to the defense of Saudi Arabia, Israel and other friends and partners in the region.
They added that the secretary would also raise Trump’s concern about the festering dispute between Qatar on one side and its Gulf Cooperation Council partners Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the other. The dispute, the officials said, is hampering unified efforts to confront Iran’s increasing assertiveness and giving Iran room to expand its influence.
Pompeo will also press the Saudis on contributing more to stabilization efforts in territory in Syria recently liberated from the Islamic State group.
On Friday at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the first stop on his trip, Pompeo repeated Trump’s pledge to withdraw from the Iran deal unless it is significantly strengthened. He said the U.S. was “unlikely” to stay in if that was not done.
“Absent a substantial fix, absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws of the deal, he is unlikely to stay in that deal past this May,” Pompeo said.
AP contributed to this report.
Article source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.834700
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