Drones on display during a ceremony at an undisclosed location in Iran April 20. p>Israel is lobbying China for help dismantling Iran's nuclear program, seeking to capitalize on Beijing's new role as a diplomatic facilitator in the Middle East.
Eli Cohen, Israel's foreign minister, asked his Chinese counterpart this week use the country's «influence» in Tehran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons as fears grow that the regime is on the verge of enriching uranium for a bomb. p>
The attraction comes as China emerges as a new diplomatic player in the region, providing a major thaw in March between archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Beijing-brokered deal has led Riyadh and Tehran to reopen their embassies and resume flights, and raised hopes that it could support peace efforts in Yemen, where two countries support opposing sides.
But Israel appears. hope that China's initial successes can be extended to resolving a nuclear crisis that could soon escalate into a direct military conflict between Israel and Tehran.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to strike at Iran's nuclear program, which it considers an existential threat, unless an urgent diplomatic solution is found.
He is already suspected of carrying out a number of clandestine attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, as well as the murder of the chief scientist of the program.
The dangers of the Iranian program
The February announcement by the UN nuclear agency that Iran was enriching uranium to a level of 84%, just below the threshold for acquiring nuclear weapons, exacerbated the crisis.
“I spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gan about the danger, that we see in the Iranian nuclear program — a danger shared by many countries in the region, including countries that have diplomatic relations with Iran,” Mr. Cohen said in a statement following their phone call this week.
«The international community must act immediately to prevent the Ayatollah regime in Tehran from gaining a nuclear capability.»
UN nuclear agency exposed in February that Iran was enriching uranium to 84%, just below the threshold for acquiring nuclear weapons, exacerbated the crisis. Photo: Iranian army
It was not clear this week if China had reacted. positive to this proposal.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement regarding the phone call only mentioned that Israel «is closely following the Iranian nuclear issue and expects China to play a positive role.»
But added. that the Foreign Minister stressed to Mr. Cohen that the thaw in Iranian-Saudi relations is “a great example of resolving differences through dialogue.”
The Chinese version of the phone call focused much more on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with China offering to resume peace talks and «implement the two-state solution.»
Diplomatic victory possible
A source familiar with the Israeli-Saudi strategy in regarding Iran, said that ending the nuclear program would be an unlikely outcome of any negotiations, but they suggested that if China made a symbolic deal with Iran — such as a commitment to freeze the program at the current threshold level — then it could be presented as a diplomatic victory for all three countries.
Saudi Arabia and China could use such a deal to polish their status as rivals to US influence in the Middle East, potentially filling the void left by the Biden administration, which has reduced its presence in the region.
Also, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister Israeli minister, may claim a foreign policy triumph that could distract his critics from a major, ongoing domestic crisis over his controversial plans to overhaul the country's legal system.
But Mr. Netanyahu's appetite for renewed peace talks with the Palestinians seems limited, at least publicly.
In an interview with CNBC this week, he insisted that he was «not aware of any specific proposal of this nature,» referring to China's remarks.
Mr. Netanyahu also denied rumors that Beijing's role in the region could surpass that of Washington, stressing that «we have an irreplaceable alliance with our great friend, the United States.»
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