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March 18 2014
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Monday issued a scathing critique of the Obama administration, declaring that Israel cannot rely on the US to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, accusing the administration of broadcasting weakness throughout the world, and warning that its perceived weakness was inviting further terrorism against US targets.
Speaking at a Tel Aviv University event reported by the Haaretz daily, Ya’alon said Israel could not afford to rely on the Obama administration to lead an action against Iran’s nuclear program, and that Israel could only rely on itself. Israel had believed that “the one who should lead the campaign against Iran is the US,” but instead, “the US at a certain stage began negotiating with them, and unfortunately in the Persian bazaar the Iranians were better,” he said. Therefore, “we (Israelis) have to look out for ourselves.”
Ya’alon’s office confirmed his remarks about Iran, but refused to comment as to whether the defense minister was advocating an Israeli strike on Iran. Ya’alon was widely reported to have opposed an Israeli resort to force against Iran in the past, but the Haaretz report said his comments Sunday indicated that he had changed his stance, and was now inclined to support Israeli military intervention in Iran.
In his reported remarks Sunday, Ya’alon was adamant that “Iran is fooling the world” about its nuclear program,” but said the West preferred to put off any confrontation — “to next year, or the next term; but it will blow up in the end.” The Iranians had been “on all fours” because of sanctions and diplomatic isolation, but had been allowed to recover, he charged. The interim deal signed in Geneva in November “is very comfortable for the Iranians,” he said, enabling them to establish themselves as a threshold state “and break out to the bomb when they choose to do so.”
Ya’alon spoke as world powers and Iran are set to start a new round of talks over Iran’s contested nuclear program in Vienna. Iran denies it seeks nuclear weapons. On Sunday Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif predicted that the talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, would not produce a final deal. Iran capped uranium enrichment after the six-month interim deal was struck in November, in return for easing non-core sanctions by the West.