Israel has used NSO’s spyware as a central pillar of its diplomatic policy in recent years, The New York Times is reporting, confirming past reports in Haaretz. The report also reveals American agencies like the FBI were in talks to purchase NSO’s spyware and were offered a never-before-seen spyware system.

NSO Group has been under intensified scrutiny this year, following mass revelations of its hacking software being deployed against journalists and activists worldwide.

The spyware, the NYT found, was a key part of Israel’s normalization efforts in the Gulf and also played a background role in diplomatic politics taking place regarding the nuclear talks with Iran.

Read more at Haaretz