Israel pressures US to exclude unfreezing of Iranian assets from deal

Israel is pressuring the United States not to include the unfreezing of Iranian assets in any ceasefire agreement, CNN reported, citing an Israeli source. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is in regular communication with U.S. President Donald Trump, with the two leaders holding a phone call on the night of June 11. This follows an earlier claim by President Trump that Israel was among the Middle Eastern nations supporting the proposed agreement. In response, Netanyahu issued a statement claiming Trump had promised that a final deal would include the removal of Iran's enriched uranium, the dismantling of its nuclear program, limits on missile development, and an end to its support for proxy forces. However, Trump's public remarks have focused on the enriched uranium issue, and he has not mentioned the missile or proxy force issues for several weeks. The Israeli source added that Israel believes that even if the U.S. and Iran sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU), it will not lead to a final agreement.