Former senior adviser to Trump's Israel ambassador rips 'horrendous' Iran nuclear deal
Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, former senior adviser to Trump's Israel ambassador, weighs the possible repercussions of the Iran nuclear deal and discusses Israel's urges to reject the deal.
The Biden administration’s eagerness to enter into an Iran nuclear deal that critics find to be deeply flawed could result in Israel strengthening ties with Arab neighbors, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon says.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Danon said that from the looks of it, the deal that will come out of current negotiations will "absolutely not" be any better than the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action entered into by President Barack Obama.
"What we are seeing now is shorter and weaker," said Danon, now the chairman of the global communication wing of Israel’s Likud party. He contrasted this with the expectation that a new deal would be "longer and stronger."
A shorter time before the deal’s expiration would simply provide a short delay before Iran develops a nuclear weapon, critics fear, while the economic benefit of lifting sanctions against Iran would give them an influx of cash to eventually support their nuclear program and support terror in the region.
ISRAEL SPY CHIEF REPORTEDLY SLAMS IRAN DEAL AS ‘STRATEGIC DISASTER’
As a result of the new deal, Danon said, "many radical groups will be empowered."
Danon said that the Biden administration is ignoring requests of allies in the region by not insisting on stronger terms in the deal. As a result of this perceived weak position on the deal, Danon said Israel will turn to what until recently would have been unlikely allies.
"We would actually get closer to our new allies in the region … moderate Arab countries," Danon said, in reference to countries like the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Bahrain that reached historic deals with Israel during the Trump administration. Danon said this could mean an increase in cooperation between Israel and Arab countries "in terms of defense, security," and possibly even in terms of military cooperation.
Those nations, as well as Saudi Arabia, share Israel’s trepidation about the possibility of Iran even possessing a nuclear weapon.
"We hope that we will come together for other reasons," Danon said.
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Danon also issued a reminder that no matter what a future Iran nuclear deal may look like, Israel is not a party to it, and thus is not bound by its terms.
"We will keep all options on the table," he said.
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