As nuclear talks in Vienna continue, the tension between Israel and the Biden administration continues to grow, Axios reported on Wednesday.

Both sides are frustrated about a “lack of trust, coordination, and transparency,” the report said.

US and Israeli officials met for a second round of virtual strategic talks on Iran two days after the explosion at the Natanz nuclear site last week. During the meeting, Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat complained that the US wasn’t taking Israel’s concerns into consideration during its talks in Vienna, two Israeli officials told Axios.

The US then complained that Israel was conducting strikes against Iran without fully informing Washington. But according to the Israeli officials, the US was notified in advance. “It was not a surprise for the Americans,” one Israeli official said.

The Israeli officials also claim that the Biden administration is not being fully transparent about the proposals it is offering in Vienna, such as the non-nuclear sanctions it may lift.

However, a senior Biden administration official denied the Israeli claim, saying that US and Israeli officials are in “close consultations on an ongoing basis” and the consultations will continue going forward.

Next week, senior Israeli security officials are traveling to Washington for in-person talks on Iran, including Ben-Shabbat, Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, and Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is meeting with the security officials on Thursday along with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, to discuss the policies to be presented in Washington.

“We don’t think it is a done deal, and as long as we have a chance to give our input, we are going to give it a try, hoping it makes a difference,” a senior Netanyahu aide told Axios.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)