Israelis warn Iran deal leaves missile and proxy threats untouched

Israeli officials and opposition figures said the emerging U.S.-Iran framework left the most dangerous parts of Iran’s threat untouched, even as Washington weighed a 60-day ceasefire extension and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. The criticism cut across Israel’s political divide, with leaders warning that the deal postponed the questions that mattered most: Iran’s missile program, its regional proxy network and the fate of its enriched uranium.

Israeli reporting said the initial draft did not require Iran to immediately export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and some versions also contemplated a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon without forcing the group to disarm. That combination led Israeli officials to call it a bad deal, arguing that it would ease pressure on Tehran while limiting Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon and elsewhere.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s opposition leader, sharpened the domestic criticism on May 25, 2026, when he said the arrangement was “bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran.” He also argued that Benjamin Netanyahu failed to influence Washington despite Israel’s direct stake in the outcome. Israeli officials said Netanyahu told Donald Trump that Israel had to retain freedom of action and that no final agreement should be signed unless Iran’s nuclear program was dismantled and all enriched uranium removed from Iranian territory.

The deal debate unfolded against the backdrop of the 2025 Israel-U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the damage they left behind. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on June 19, 2025, that it was monitoring possible radiological consequences at Arak, Esfahan, Natanz and Tehran, and its February 27, 2026 safeguards report estimated Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile at 9,874.9 kg as of June 13, 2025. The agency said inspections were interrupted when the military attacks began on June 13, 2025, and inspectors were later withdrawn for safety reasons.

The diplomatic track still appeared fluid. Israeli media reports said the first U.S. framework included a 30-day negotiation period after an initial ceasefire, a moratorium on enrichment, sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian funds, while a senior U.S. official said broad framework approval had been reached and the agreement could be signed in coming days. But in Jerusalem, the core fear remained the same: Washington was trading immediate pressure on Tehran for a tactical pause that could leave Iran’s missiles and proxies intact, and give the regime time, money and political relief without resolving the security threats Israelis say define the conflict.