Israel's Lapid Says Iran Deal To Be Signed Is 'Bad And Ineffective'

The nuclear deal to be signed with Iran is “a bad and ineffective” agreement, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid said Monday after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Riga.

Although the main topic of discussion was Israel’s diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine crisis, the pair also discussed the talks in Vienna on a possible return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

After the meeting Lapid said Israel “is continuing its effort to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear threshold state. The nuclear agreement which stands to be signed in Vienna is a bad and ineffective agreement.

Before the start of discussion Lapid said his meeting with Blinken comes at a time "when the world order is changing," referring to both the war in Ukraine and the nuclear talks.

While not a party to the nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers in Vienna, Israel has conferred with the US administration in hope of wielding more clout over any revival of a 2015 deal with Tehran that was reached over its objections.

"It’s not secret we have our differences on this, but it is a conversation between allies that have a common goal which is to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear threshold country," Lapid said before the meeting.

Meanwhile, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani will return to Tehran on Monday for consultations, Iranian media reported.