WarSclerotic

Israel and the United States will hold strategic talks on the issue next week, the first such talks since Netanyahu took office. A senior Israeli official said yesterday that the U.S., France, Britain and Germany have been updating Israel continuously on developments at the UN and in major world capitals on drafting new measures against the Islamic Republic.

“As far as we know, efforts are being made to reach a decision on sanctions, and to have them approved in the Security Council by mid- to late March,” the official said, adding, “The sanctions are expected to focus on the Revolutionary Guards and bodies linked to the nuclear program, and less on the Iranian population.”

Jerusalem and Washington have held several high-level consultations on Iran in recent weeks. Last month U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones visited Israel for talks with Israeli colleagues, and two weeks ago Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta paid a secret visit to the country. The U.S. officials briefed their counterparts on sanctions the Obama administration intends to levy against Iran, but reportedly asked them to keep a low media profile and to “act responsibly.”

Today Mullen will meet his Israeli equivalent, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, with whom he reportedly enjoys a close working relationship. Mullen and Ashkenazi met several weeks ago at a NATO summit in Brussels and on several other occasions over the past year, and speak regularly by phone.

Mullen will meet with Deputy Chief of Staff Benny Gantz tomorrow, as well as Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and Amir Eshel, head of the army’s Planning and Policy Directorate. Mullen will also meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak for talks on Iran and on maintaining Israel’s “qualitative edge” over other regional military forces.

Russia is the focal point of current international efforts to impose new sanctions on Tehran, a high-ranking Israeli official said, and Netanyahu’s trip to Moscow will be heavily dedicated to the issue.

Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tomorrow and with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the following day.

Russia is believed to support sanctions targeting governmental bodies directly involved in Iran’s nuclear program, but not those aimed at striking the country’s economy as a whole. “If Russia agrees to sanctions, China will find itself alone and may be forced to line up with the Western powers,” the Israeli official said. “That’s why persuading the Russian leadership is so important.”

Netanyahu is expected to try to convince Russian leaders to implement “crippling sanctions” against Tehran, and to receive assurances that the Kremlin is committed to freeze its supply of advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

A high-level U.S. delegation will visit Israel next week for strategic talks on Iran and a number of other issues. In contrast to the original plans, talks will not be held between Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but will instead be held at the deputy-minister level.

The Israeli negotiators will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon of Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party. The U.S. team will be led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, and include presidential advisers Dennis Ross and Daniel Shapiro and other National Security Council, Defense Department and CIA officials.

Meanwhile, leading U.S. foreign-policy officials will also arrive in the region this week. Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Lew will visit Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, and Under Secretary of State William Burns will travel to Syria and Lebanon.