Mohammad Sio
24 June 2026•Update: 24 June 2026
The US will soon find itself "on a collision course" with Israel over its agreement with Iran, Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said Wednesday, arguing that the deal will not resolve concerns over Tehran's nuclear program.
Speaking at the Local Government Conference in Tel Aviv, Zohar criticized US handling of negotiations with Tehran, and warned: "The conduct of the US at this moment regarding the Iranian issue is not good."
"They do not internalize who they are dealing with," Zohar was quoted as saying by Israeli news site Ynet.
"The US will find itself on a collision course with Israel in the near future, and our response to the US will not be automatic," he added, warning that differences between Washington and Tel Aviv could deepen in the coming period.
"Our security interest will dictate the military move," he continued.
The minister also expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
"A US agreement, in my opinion, will not solve the nuclear weapons issue, and the war phase will return faster than people think," he said.
Zohar's remarks come amid growing criticism within Israel of US President Donald Trump's administration following its signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran.
Israeli officials have questioned whether the agreement can effectively prevent Tehran from advancing its nuclear program, while the US argues that the deal is intended to contain tensions and avoid a broader military confrontation.
Last week, US Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over their opposition to the US-Iran agreement.
On June 18, the US and Iran signed the memorandum and launched negotiations in Switzerland on Sunday under Pakistani and Qatari mediation aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war that began with the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28.
The understanding includes provisions related to ending the war, including in Lebanon, reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, lifting the US naval blockade imposed on Iran, and addressing issues related to sanctions relief, the nuclear file and reconstruction.
The US and Israel accuse Iran of maintaining nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel and US-allied countries in the region. Iran rejects the allegations, insisting that its nuclear program is peaceful, that it does not seek nuclear weapons and that it poses no threat to other countries.
Israel, which occupies Palestine and territories in Lebanon and Syria, is widely believed to be the only country in the Middle East possessing a nuclear arsenal, and its nuclear facilities are not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections.
