Blinken reassures allies ahead of possible Iran deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tried to reassure a wary Israel and its Gulf Arab allies ahead of a possible renewal of global powers’ international nuclear deal with Iran. Blinken made the comments on Sunday shortly before joining his counterparts from Israel and four Arab countries at a special gathering where the Iran negotiations are expected to top the agenda. “When it comes to the most important element, we see eye-to-eye,” Blinken told a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. “We are both committed, both determined that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.” Israel and many of its neighbors are fiercely opposed to the deal.