Bennett Asks Swiss President to Take Action on Iran's Nuclear Program in Meeting

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin on Thursday and requested that Switzerland, a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors, act decisively against Iran's nuclear program, Bennett's office said.

Hosting Parmelin in Jerusalem, Bennett told him that their countries have much to offer, "specifically on the issue of climate change."

Last week, Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who demanded during their five-hour discussion that Israel better coordinate its strikes in Syria with Russia.

The two also discussed ways to curb Iran's nuclear program and renewing tourism between the two countries. The Palestinian issue, meanwhile, was sidelined.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Wednesday that talks with six major powers over Tehran's nuclear program will resume by the end of November.

In April, Tehran and six powers started to discuss ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear pact, which three years ago then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned. Trump then reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran that have devastated its economy by squeezing its oil exports.

But the talks have been on hold since the election of Iran's hard line President Ebrahim Raisi in June, who is expected to take a tough approach if the talks resume in Vienna.

• Israel’s New Aim: Making Iranians' Daily Hardships Even Worse
• Why Is Israel Dictating America’s Mideast Policy?
• Putin Tells Bennett Israel Needs to Better Coordinate Syria Strikes

In response to Trump's pressure, Tehran has gradually breached the deal by rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

Reuters contributed to this report.