'We are en route to regional conflict' - experts on outcome of Iran nuke deal
'Israel cannot on its own destroy Iranian nuclear program'
As Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to speak with US President Joe Biden about the emerging nuclear deal with Iran experts discussed with i24NEWS possible outcomes of the agreement both for the Jewish state and the whole Middle East.
Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, backed Lapid’s recent statements saying “it’s a bad deal.”
“The deal delays the enrichment program probably for as much as two years and in return pays Iran hundreds of billions of dollars, which is going to be bad for the State of Israel as we all know Iran is not going to use that money to build schools and hospitals, it’s all going to go to Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad,” he stressed.
The diplomat added that it is important for the Jewish State to make sure Washington will reinforce Israel’s security in the wake of the deal.
“If Israel has to act alone, will you be with us? And secondly, will you give us capabilities? Because believe it or not, America has capabilities that Israel does not have, and that we have asked for, I have asked for, but haven’t received. It’s about time we got them,” he noted.
While agreeing that the deal on the table “is not perfect,” Nadiv Tamir, executive director of J Street Israel and former Israeli diplomat, argued that “it’s better than all the alternatives.”
“We saw what happened when (former US president) Trump withdrew from the deal. Iran has enriched 10 times more uranium, is much much closer to a bomb. It was a huge mistake,” he said, adding that until the American side withdrew from the agreement in 2018 Tehran was respecting it.
According to Tamir, it would be a mistake to fight against Washington over this deal, putting US-Israeli relations at risk.
“Israel cannot on its own destroy Iranian nuclear program,” he stressed.
The expert added that the money that Iran gives to its proxies, including Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, which are threatening Israel’s security, were not affected by American sanctions.
“Iran can still support those proxies whether with this new money or without it,” he said, adding that the “agreement is actually pushing back the ability of Iran to achieve a bomb.”
Oren in turn reminded the audience of the bigger consequences for the Middle East that Iranian threat could pose.
“We are en route to regional conflict, not a local conflict, it will involve Hezbollah, it would involve militias in Iraq, it will involve the Houthi rebels in Yemen and of course everybody in Gaza and we’ll have to have a tremendous amount of logistical support and diplomatic support,” he noted.