Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal paved way for nuclearization of entire Mideast

by WorldTribune Staff, March 11, 2018

The signing of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 opened the floodgates for all Mideast regional powers to pursue their own nuclear programs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington on March 6. / Reuters

Under the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “Many countries in the Middle East are saying that they are also allowed to enrich uranium if Iran is allowed to do so; therefore, the way to prevent this danger, the nuclearization of the Middle East, is to either thoroughly correct the agreement or abrogate it,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on March 11.

“Moreover, I remind you that Iran declares, on an almost daily basis – including recently, its intention to wipe out the State of Israel. It is hardly worth saying that we will not allow this, to put it mildly.”

Netanyahu recently returned from the U.S. where he met with President Donald Trump, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and senior American lawmakers.

“Last Friday I returned from the U.S. where I met with the President of the United States, a great friend of Israel, Donald Trump,” said Netanyahu.

“I addressed the AIPAC policy conference, and met with Senate and House leaders – Republicans and Democrats, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and hundreds of businesspeople. I encouraged them to invest in Israel.”

“The diplomatic talks focused mainly on Iran. I said that the nuclear agreement with Iran contains within it many dangers for the world, including the special danger of the nuclearization of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

Trump has pointed to three defects in the JCPOA which he is asking European allies to help fix: the deal’s failure to address Iran’s ballistic missile program; the terms under which international inspectors can visit Iranian nuclear sites; and “sunset” clauses under which limits on the Iranian nuclear program start to expire after 10 years.


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