Behind the scenes: The main message to Milley from the Israelis was that Biden shouldn’t rush back into the 2015 deal but should instead take advantage of the fact that Iran is in a weak position, Israeli officials who attended the talks say.

If Biden doesn’t use the leverage the U.S. has accumulated through its “maximum pressure” sanctions regime, the Israelis argued, he’ll find it impossible to make a better deal later.

“We stressed that the starting point of any talks with Iran is much better for the U.S. today than it was in 2013. What is needed now is to be tough in order to get a better deal,” an Israeli official said.