Iran Talks Loom as a New Test of Biden’s Israel Ties

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited Israel to talk about Gaza and the Palestinians, but heard a stern message about nuclear talks with Tehran.

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took a moment on Tuesday to thank the Biden administration for its support during his country’s 11-day conflict with Hamas in Gaza — and then abruptly changed the subject, and his tone. “We discussed many regional issues, but none is greater than Iran,” Mr. Netanyahu said, standing with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken after their meeting in Jerusalem. He pointedly added that he hoped the United States would not rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, “because we believe that that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy.” The Israeli leader’s remarks lent a sour note to his welcome of Mr. Blinken. And it undoubtedly echoed a few thousand miles away in Vienna, where a fifth round of negotiations aimed at bringing the United States and Iran back into compliance with the nuclear agreement, a top priority of Mr. Biden’s, opened on Tuesday.