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Israel Denies Spying on U.S. Negotiators in Iran Talks
(Wall Street Journal) Adam Entous - After the U.S. and other major powers entered negotiations last year to curtail Iran's nuclear program, senior White House officials learned Israel was spying on the closed-door talks. The White House discovered the operation when U.S. intelligence agencies spying on Israel intercepted Israeli communications that carried details from the confidential talks. Israeli officials denied spying directly on U.S. negotiators. A senior official in the prime minister's office said Monday: "These allegations are utterly false. The State of Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel's other allies. The false allegations are clearly intended to undermine the strong ties between the United States and Israel and the security and intelligence relationship we share." Israeli officials said they received their information through other means, including close surveillance of Iranian leaders. Indeed, U.S. intelligence agencies helped the Israelis build a system to listen in on high-level Iranian communications. Moreover, European officials, particularly the French, have been more transparent with Israel about the closed-door discussions than the Americans.