fbpx

Ya’alon: Pressure can convince Iran to halt nuclear program

Israel’s strategic affairs minister expressed confidence that international pressure could force Iran to halt its nuclear program.
[additional-authors]
January 25, 2012

Israel’s strategic affairs minister expressed confidence that international pressure could force Iran to halt its nuclear program.

Moshe Ya’alon, speaking in New York at a meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said the West needed to force Tehran to choose between the survival of its regime and the pursuit of its nuclear ambitions.

“It is not too late to put this regime in such a dilemma,” said Ya’alon, a member of the governing Likud Party who previously served as Israel’s army chief of staff.

Ya’alon said that if confronted with such a choice, the Iranian regime would opt for its survival. As evidence, he cited what he characterized as Iran’s 2003 decision to suspend its nuclear program for two years out of fear of the United States following the invasion of Iraq.

Ya’alon called for a combination of international diplomatic pressure, “crippling” economic sanctions, support for Iran’s internal opposition and a “credible military option.”

New European and American sanctions should be implemented “without hesitation,” he said, even if they lead to higher oil prices. Ya’alon also said that the Iranian regime needed to be convinced that there was a political will “to go all the way” with a military option, and that ultimately this would help avoid needing to actually use the option.

He referred to Iran’s government as a “messianic, apocalyptic regime” and said the country is the main generator of the conflict across the region.

Ya’alon, who had been meeting in previous days with Obama administration officials, said that in areas where there had been disagreement between the two countries regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, there now is “no daylight.”

Ya’alon also expressed concerns over the recent electoral successes of Islamists in the wake of the so-called “Arab Spring.”

He said that while it is in Israel’s interest to have more democracies in the region, democratization needed to take place via education rather than by elections.

Ya’alon criticized those who are “looking for instant peace and now instant democracy.”

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Difficult Choices

Jews have always believed in the importance of higher education. Today, with the rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, Jewish high school seniors are facing difficult choices.

All Aboard the Lifeboat

These are excruciating times for Israel, and for the Jewish people.  It is so tempting to succumb to despair. That is why we must keep our eyes open and revel in any blessing we can find.  

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.