(Prime Minister's Office) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday in Jerusalem: The supporters of the Iran deal argued that the infusion of massive cash into Iran's economy would moderate Iran. In fact, the very opposite has happened. Iran used those hundreds of billions of dollars to fund empire-building, devouring one state after another in the Middle East. Those who argue that Iran's aggression began after the recent actions are not living on the same planet. We in Israel saw Iran's aggression in their increased efforts to establish Iranian military bases in Syria, in their increased efforts to provide sophisticated weapons to Hizbullah, in their increased financial support for terror proxies like Hizbullah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This increased right after the deal. With the removal of sanctions, we in Israel could see an explosion of terror and aggression. Likewise, our Arab neighbors saw exactly the same thing. Well before Iran's acts of aggression of recent weeks, such as the attacks on oil tankers and the downing of an American drone, Iranian forces fired dozens of rockets into Israeli territory and flew drones into Israeli airspace. Iran also fired rockets deep into Saudi Arabia, and through their proxies, endangered international shipping lanes. The one thing that has changed for those of us who live in the Middle East is not that Iran is attacking its neighbors or brazenly perpetrating wanton aggression. What's new is that now, thanks to crippling American sanctions, Iran is facing unprecedented economic pressure as a result of its aggression.
2019-06-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive