Israel this week sent a delegation of officials to Vienna, where negotiations are being held between the Islamic Republic and world powers over Iran’s nuclear program.

It’s the first time that an Israeli delegation has been sent to Vienna since the negotiations began last April.

The head of Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s strategic affairs department, Joshua Zarka is heading the delegation.

“Zarka went to Vienna to check what’s cooking,” a senior Israeli official told Axios. “He met everyone other than the Iranians.”

On Monday, delegation members met with Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and on Tuesday they met with the US delegation headed by Rob Malley as well with officials from Russia, China, France, UK and Germany.

Thank you for a frank and important discussion @Amb_Ulyanov https://t.co/kafFwTDj1R

— Joshua L. Zarka (@yzarka) February 15, 2022

Iranian state media Nour News wrote on Twitter. “The overt and unexpected presence of the Zionists in Vienna is undoubtedly a deterrent to advancement in the current sensitive situation. The discussions of the representatives of the Zionist entity with Grossi and Ulyanov, whatever their purpose, will only be a step towards the role that this entity plays in its self-destruction.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)