Gantz travels to Washington as nuclear deal shapes up with Iran

On a trip to the US on Thursday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz makes a last-ditch effort to bring Israel’s interests to bear on the revived nuclear deal approaching approval with Iran. He made it clear that Israel would not be bound by this accord and would “maintain its freedom of action as necessary.” Iran had accepted the draft proposal submitted by the EU, its foreign policy chief Josep Borrel said on Tuesday, except for “some adjustments.” The most important one is reported to be Tehran’s demand for the UN nuclear watchdog to close its open files on the suspicious presence of radioactive traces at unacknowledged sites. Israel finds this demand totally unacceptable.