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Bahraini crown prince, Israel’s Netanyahu discuss Iran nuclear deal

The call between the Israeli and Bahraini leaders came as the Biden administration seeks to re-enter the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking the 4,000,000th person to be vaccinated at Leumit Health Care Services vaccination facility in Jerusalem on February 16, 2021. - Israel's largest healthcare provider said a study of more than half a million fully vaccinated Israelis indicated the Pfizer/BioNTech jab gave 94 percent protection against Covid-19. (Photo by Alex KOLOMIENSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking the 4,000,000th person to be vaccinated at Leumit Health Care Services vaccination facility in Jerusalem on Feb. 16, 2021. — ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

As the Biden administration works to revive diplomacy with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Thursday discussed the role the region should play in negotiations over the nuclear agreement.

“The importance of regional participation in any negotiations on the Iranian nuclear deal, provided that these negotiations include broader issues to consolidate regional security and stability, was stressed,” according to a Bahraini readout of the call.

The Biden administration has pledged to consult with Israel, as well as with allies and partners in the Gulf, before making any moves to re-enter the landmark nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.  

President Joe Biden has said the United States will re-enter the Iranian nuclear agreement that the previous administration withdrew from, but only if Tehran resumes full compliance under the deal. The two sides are each insisting the other act first, with Iran’s government saying it will only reverse its many nuclear violations if the United States lifts sanctions. 

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