Ya'alon: Rohani elected to be Iran's 'pretty face'
Nuclear deal between West, Iran at focus of defense minister's speech to Jewish Federations. 'Rohani and Iran's foreign minister deceitful, manipulative,' he says, warns of complacency
After the indefinite postponement of a deal between the world powers and Iran, Ya'alon noted that "we have said from the start and continue to say that the Iranian nuclear regime needs to be stopped one way or another, otherwise it would be a nightmare, and not only for Israel."
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"Israel is prepared to protect itself on its own. We have nine more days until November 20 (the date for the second round of talks between the West and Iran), and I believe that all those who understand the situation need to do the best they can to convince the leaders involved in this process not to allow any agreement which they are unsure would have the same effect as the economic sanctions did," he added.
After the Islamic Republic unequivocally clarified that it does not intend to cease uranium enrichment, Ya'alon said that "there should be an agreement in which the Iranian regime will waive all capabilities for enriching uranium. This should be very clear. If we do not achieve that, there cannot be changes to the sanctions, and if they do not obey and continue with their activities, the sanctions should be increased and they should be put under more pressure."
'Bomb versus survival'
Ya'alon further said that "we believe that now too the administration in Tehran should face the dilemma of bomb versus survival. We are not far from reaching that thanks to harsh sanctions, but we see that on one hand there are diplomatic talks aimed at alleviating sanctions more than we expected, and on the other hand keeping the Iranian capability to enrich uranium. It may be postponed for some time, but not for long. If they are still capable of enriching uranium they could dramatically move forward within months."
In regards to the dilemmas facing the West and Israel, Ya'alon said in his remarks that "if the economic situation in Iran will improve they will have no pressure to enter negotiations. If (the sanctions) are eased now, we will lose momentum. Chinese and European businessmen and companies are waiting for this moment. It is a historic mistake and a missed opportunity.
"If we wish to avoid a military option, we need to use all the tools at our disposal, mainly harsh sanctions, and not ease them. That is why Israel must shout 'we are about to miss this opportunity'. There should be an agreement that is comprehensive that would make the regime forgo its entire enrichment capabilities."
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