Why Netanyahu Is Struggling To Respond To Trump's Iran Agreement

US President Donald Trump's proposed deal with Iran has placed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a difficult position. Netanyahu has spent years warning that Iran is a major threat to Israel and has opposed agreements that ease pressure on Tehran.

Under the reported agreement, Iran could receive relief from economic sanctions and get access to about $300 billion. In exchange, it would once again pledge not to develop nuclear weapons. The deal reportedly leaves open questions about what will happen to Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. 

Israeli officials have long demanded stricter limits on Iran's nuclear programme.

Zvi Hauser, a former close ally of Netanyahu and cabinet secretary from 2009 to 2013, told The Times that the PM knows that history will judge him mainly on Iran's nuclear threat. He added that many Israelis have forgiven Netanyahu's mistakes in recent years because they believed he could protect Israel from Iran and stop its nuclear ambitions.

"Rather than being remembered as the leader who prevented the greatest strategic threat facing the Jewish state, he risks being remembered as the leader under whose watch that threat ultimately materialised," he said.

Netanyahu is also under pressure because of Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

According to The Times report, Netanyahu may try to tell Israelis that even if the Iran deal goes ahead, Israel still achieved a big success through military pressure on Iran and its allies. 

He has already been trying to present recent Israeli and US strikes, including attacks on Iran-linked targets, as a major achievement.

Netanyahu may also try to influence the US decision-making, especially in Congress. He believes real power in the US is not only with the president but also with lawmakers in Congress. 
In 2015, he went directly to the US Congress to oppose President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal, even without White House approval.

The report stated that he has to be careful in making decisions because, unlike in the Obama era, Trump has been described as personally frustrated with Netanyahu. Trump has even criticised him for Israeli military actions that complicated US plans in the region, reported Axios.

"Netanyahu got caught in the contradictions of his own making. Either you say that you and Trump are Siamese twins, or you say you were not a party to the agreement and Trump did not consult you — but not both," said a senior Israeli leader, as quoted by The Times.