House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said on Tuesday that he never received confidential information on the Iran nuclear talks from Israel.
Boehner was responding to the Wall Street Journal report that Israel spied on Iran’s nuclear talks with the U.S. and other countries, and then shared the confidential information with U.S. lawmakers.
“I read that story this morning, and frankly I was a bit shocked,” Boehner told reporters on Tuesday, according to The Hill. “There was no information revealed to me whatsoever.”
“I’m shocked by the fact that there were reports in this press article that information was being passed on by the Israelis to members of Congress. I’m not aware of that at all,” he continued. “I’m baffled by it.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Israel began spying on the talks as part of a larger effort by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build opposition to the nuclear deal.
Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said Tuesday that “there is no way” Israel spied on the negotiations between Iran and the U.S.