Israel’s Netanyahu can add a check to one of the demands he put forward ahead of the P5+1 meeting this week in Geneva. The P5+1 revised proposal that will be discussed at Wednesday’s talks with Iran at Geneva includes a halt on any further construction at the Arak heavy water plant as well as a freeze on Iran’s current stockpiles of enriched uranium, Haaretz reports.

According to informed U.S. sources, the proposal also includes the imposition of an unprecedented daily inspections’ regime aimed at ensuring that Tehran keeps the commitments that it will undertake in the new nuclear deal.

The new deal also includes, in addition to stopping all uranium enrichment to 19.75%, a freeze of the current levels of Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium as a whole.

Although these demands are still a far cry from Israel’s demand that Iran stop all nuclear enrichment and destroy its centrifuges, the amended proposal, Harretz notes, will be used in the Administration’s ongoing efforts to persuade Congress to refrain from legislating new sanctions that could jeopardize the ongoing talks.

Meanwhile, kicking off a 3 day visit in Israel today, French President Francois Hollande assured Israel that France would continue to oppose an easing of economic sanctions against Iran until it was convinced Tehran had ended a pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“France will not give way on nuclear proliferation,” Hollande said at a welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv airport. “So long as we are not certain that Iran has renounced nuclear arms, we will keep in place all our demands and sanctions.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)