Israel: General Has Hopeful View About the Nuclear Talks With Iran

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/world/middleeast/israel-general-has-hopeful-view-about-the-nuclear-talks-with-iran.html

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As Iran and the United States began two days of talks in Geneva on Monday to advance the stalled negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear activities, a top Israeli intelligence official said he believed that Iran was serious about ensuring the success of the negotiations. The assessment of the official, Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, the chief analyst of Israeli military intelligence, appeared more optimistic than that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has persistently warned against what he has called a bad nuclear deal with Iran. General Brun, speaking at Israel’s annual Herzliya Conference on policy and security, said that Iran was abiding by a temporary agreement with major powers, and that economic pressures on the country “are leading it toward a dialogue, which we view as serious, on a permanent agreement.” The temporary accord expires on July 20, and diplomats have said significant obstacles remain in achieving a permanent agreement to guarantee that Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.