With tensions in the Middle East at a peak and the U.S. issuing unusual security instructions to its embassies within range of Iran, American Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sat down for an interview to discuss where things stand. While he believes Israel is unlikely to act against Iran without a “green light” from Washington, he stressed that such a decision ultimately lies with Jerusalem.
Huckabee also said that if one wants to understand where things are currently headed, he should listen to President Donald Trumps recent statements. "I would take his words, I would take his actions to be the definitive measure of what President Trump is saying and doing, he said.
Is President Trump aiming for a JCPOA 2.0 nuclear agreement with Iran?
"Absolutely not. I mean, he was the president who tore up the first one. I think the last thing he would have any interest in doing would be to embrace an Obama policy that was a total failure and one that he rejected as soon as he got in office. But the president...made very clear that Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon, that Iran isn't going to have enrichment, and I don't know how much clearer he could get than he was.
"He said that he'd like to make a deal. He'd love to see it end peacefully. We all would. Who wouldn't? The Israelis more than anybody would like to see it in that way, but ending peacefully doesn't mean Iran gets their way and they get to have a nuclear weapon. The president above all else has said it's not happening."
What is the key difference between Trump's approach to Iran and Obama's?
"I think President Obama trusted them. President Trump is much more realistic about expectations. He's also been very clear about what he believes has to be. The red line that we can't, we just can't ignore."
If negotiations collapse and the US considers military action, would it act alone or with Israel?
"I don't think I can answer that definitively because it would depend; both countries have to make independent decisions about how they would want to participate, what they would wish to do. And I'm not in the position to say: 'Here's how that will go down militarily.'"
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When asked whether Trump had asked Netanyahu to take military action off the table, Huckabee declined to confirm.
"I can't say that the president gave any instructions. I know they've had many conversations and they've discussed all aspects, but it would not be like the president to give instructions to the prime minister anymore than it would be typical that the prime minister would give instructions to the president. There's a great deal of respect. People missed this extraordinary respect between the president of the United States and the prime minister in that they both recognized they had sovereign nations, both of whom are in place because they were elected to be there. Neither of them just took office in a military coup. Neither of them inherited the office from a family connection. They were elected to these positions and they owe it to their people to lead them. That's what they do, so nobody has an expectation that one can dictate terms to the other.”
Could Israel launch a strike without U.S. approval or coordination?
"I won't be making that decision. I just don't in my mind see that that would be something that would likely happen because of the closeness of the relationship and the trust, and that's the word I would emphasize - there is a trust between the U.S. and Israel. I often say: we have friends, we have allies, but we only have one partner, Israel, and when I say that I don't mean that we don't have deep relationships with other countries. But there isn't really any country with which we have the level of sharing on intelligence, military hardware, strategy, common goals - in large measure because we share a common foundation of a civilization based on the Judeo-Christian worldview.
Does Trump trust the Iranians?
“I can’t speak to his feelings. I can only go by his words and actions. What he has said repeatedly is that If the Iranians don't come to the conclusion that they're not going to have a nuclear weapon, that it will be a very unfortunate decision on their part. Those are his words. So I’d suggest following his words and his actions. No one really knows how he feels—but when he feels something, he usually says it. So yes, I would say follow his words, follow his actions.
The full interview with Ambassador Mike Huckabee will be published Friday in Yedioth Ahronoth and on Ynetnews