Earlier on Tuesday, Gantz said Israel was in contact with both the US and regional countries on talks to restore the Iran nuclear deal, amid reports of recent progress in the negotiations. “We will do everything we can to influence the deal,” Ganj said during a meeting of his National Unity party faction. Noting that Israel would not be a party to any agreement, he added that the Jewish state “will know how to maintain its freedom of action as needed.” Shortly afterwards, Deputy Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made a last-minute appeal to US President Joe Biden not to sign a renewed nuclear deal with Iran. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms “This deal will send about a quarter of a trillion dollars into the pockets of Iran’s terror command and its regional proxies and allow Iran to develop, install and operate centrifuges, with almost no restrictions, in just two years.” wrote Bennett. Twitter. Deputy Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrives to testify at the commission of inquiry into the Nahal Tzafit disaster in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90) He said that previously, “even when it was very close,” Israel had convinced the White House “not to give in to the Iranian demand” and hoped it would do the same again. “One way or another, the state of Israel is not a party to the agreement. Israel is not bound by any of the restrictions stemming from the agreement and will use all available tools to prevent the progress of Iran’s nuclear program,” he added. Since stepping down as prime minister, Bennett has kept a largely low profile in national politics, making few public statements since leaving office. A US official said on Tuesday that Iran has “made concessions on critical issues” recently, fueling further speculation that a deal between Tehran and world powers is closer than ever. The official said Iran had agreed to drop demands to block some UN nuclear inspections. Gantz is scheduled to fly to Florida on Thursday morning and meet with US Central Command chief Michael Eric Kurila at command headquarters. There he will be briefed on “the operational aspects of cooperation” between Israel and CENTCOM, his office said. CENTCOM Commander Michael Erik Kurilla (left) meets with Defense Minister Gantz (center) and Army Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi (right) July 17, 2022. (Ariel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense) CENTCOM officially assumed responsibility for the US military’s relationship with Israel in September of last year. Until then, Israel was in the European Command’s (EUCOM) area of responsibility in order to avoid potential tensions between CENTCOM and the Arab and Muslim nations under its jurisdiction, many of which did not maintain formal ties to Israel and would therefore they don’t want to be seen as mutual allies. In recent years, however, CENTCOM’s Arab allies have increasingly developed relations with Israel, some informally, so the issue has largely faded. Kurila was in Israel last month for his second official trip to Israel since becoming CENTCOM commander in April. Ganj’s office said the defense secretary will also meet US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Friday, before flying to Japan on Saturday night for an official trip. Defense Secretary Benny Gantz (L) and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on June 3, 2021. (Shmulik Almani/Defense Department) National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata was also in Washington this week to hold a series of meetings with US officials on Iran’s nuclear program and the deal. The 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — gave the Islamic Republic sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. The deal was designed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – something it has always denied it wanted to do. But in 2018, then-US President Donald Trump, a staunch critic of the deal, unilaterally withdrew and imposed tougher sanctions on Iran. Earlier this month, after more than a year of talks coordinated by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his team, the bloc submitted what it called a “final” proposed text – which has not been made public – on the revival of the agreement. “Iran responded by saying ‘yes, but,’ meaning it wants some adjustments,” Borrell told TVE on Tuesday, without elaborating. In this April 17, 2021, video released by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s IRIB state television, various centrifuges line the damaged room on April 11, 2021, at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, ca. 200 miles (322 km) south of the capital Tehran. (IRIB via AP, File) Israel believes that Iran wishes to build a nuclear bomb and has reportedly carried out sabotage operations inside the Islamic Republic to delay the development of such a weapon. Iran has denied any malicious intent and claims its program is designed for peaceful purposes, although it has recently been enriching uranium to levels that international leaders say have no political use. Two major roadblocks remain in the negotiations if Tehran wants to return to the accord: Iran demands an end to International Atomic Energy Agency investigations into its nuclear program and wants guarantees to cover the possibility that the U.S. will leave the deal again. future. Times of Israel agencies and staff contributed to this report. You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. 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