The White House reportedly told Israeli officials that the president was on break; the secretary of defense was also said to be out of town during Gantz’s visit to Washington

Amid major progress towards a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the White House recently rejected an Israeli request for an emergency phone call between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and U.S. President Joe Biden, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.

Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Channel 13 news said that the president’s office claimed Biden was unavailable for a conversation with the premier because he was on vacation. However, the sources emphasized that the talk would be arranged eventually.

The network also reported that Defense Minister Benny Gantz would not meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when he flew to Washington on Thursday since Austin too had apparently left the city.

Iran announced on Wednesday evening that it had received Washington’s response to its proposals on a final European Union draft for the revival of the 2015 accord, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the sides appeared to inch closer to a deal opposed by Israel.

The announcement comes a day after the U.S. said Iran had agreed to ease key demands that had held up the revival of the 2015 deal trashed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, boosting hopes for the restoration of an agreement its supporters say will keep Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.

Gantz was scheduled to meet the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees operations in West Asia, and with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Gantz said on Wednesday that his visit was aimed at conveying Israel’s position on the deal.

Israel’s national security adviser Eyal Hulata arrived in Washington on Wednesday, also for talks centered on Iran with Sullivan and possibly with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, one of the architects of the 2015 accord.

In a briefing to foreign reporters on Wednesday, Lapid urged the U.S. and the European Union to back away from the emerging deal, claiming it did not meet Biden’s own red lines as it won’t prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state.

“In our eyes, it does not meet the standards set by President Biden himself: preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state,” Lapid said while also attempting to downplay any rift between Jerusalem and Washington or Europe.

Lapid panned the EU’s negotiating position, claiming that it had reneged on its declaration of “take it or leave it” when it presented a final draft of the deal.

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced his staunch opposition to the deal on Wednesday, saying that the emerging new agreement is even worse than before.
“The terrible deal with Iran… casts a heavy shadow on our security and our future,” Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv.

EU-coordinated negotiations on reviving the deal began in April 2021 before coming to a standstill in March and picking up again in August. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it believes diplomacy is the best way to resolve the crisis.