In an effort to allay worries about the Iran nuclear deal, the United States will increase military assistance to Israel after 2017 by nearly $1 billion, officials from both countries told Reuters.
The U.S. government currently provides $3 billion a year in military assistances, a package that expires in 2017. A U.S. official told Reuters that is likely to increase to $3.7 billion, while an Israeli official told the news service it would be between $3.5 billion and $4 billion.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
The White House is denying any certain deal.
"These reports are wholly inaccurate,” White House National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said in a statement. "While we anticipate discussions in the coming period between the U.S. and Israeli governments about how long-term security cooperation between the two countries can be further strengthened, no such detailed discussions at a senior level have occurred recently.”
Israel strongly opposes the U.S.-led multilateral nuclear deal with Iran that would require Iran to stop developing a nuclear weapon, but allow it to continue to enrich uranium. Israel says the deal would be ineffective.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed there were such discussions but said it wouldn’t prevent his government’s opposition to the deal.
"There is no trade-off requiring I agree to this (nuclear) deal with Iran. The deal is bad and we will continue to oppose it," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Israeli broadcasters.
