Netanyahu thanks U.S. for new Iran policy outlined by Pompeo

The prime minister said that if Tehran genuinely wanted to pursue a peaceful nuclear program, it would “not need a single centrifuge.”

By HERB KEINON
Updated: MAY 22, 2018 09:51
Netanyahu thanks U.S. for new Iran policy outlined by Pomepeo, May 2, 2018 (GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech on Monday outlining the 12 steps Iran must take for sanctions relief, saying this is “the right policy.”
The prime minister, speaking at a Foreign Ministry reception in the presence of Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes marking the opening of that country’s embassy in Jerusalem, said that US President Donald Trump has “changed policy in fundamental ways,” not only regarding Jerusalem, but also Iran.
Address by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: U.S. Policy on Iran, May 21, 2018 (Reuters)
Netanyahu said that Pompeo in his speech echoed Trump’s strong positions regarding Iran: that there should be tough economic sanctions and no Iranian nuclear enrichment, and that the Islamic Republic must leave Syria.
“We believe that is the right policy,” Netanyahu said. “We believe it is the only policy that can ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East and bring peace in our region, and we call on all countries to follow America’s lead here, because Iran is an aggressive force.”
The prime minister said that if Tehran genuinely wanted to pursue a peaceful nuclear program, it would “not need a single centrifuge.” If the Iranians wanted a peaceful nuclear program, he added, “they would not hide their secret archives for making nuclear weapons.”
Israel stole and revealed the nuclear archives earlier this month, in a stunning intelligence coup. Netanyahu said that the fact that Iran did not destroy the archives – as South Africa and Libya did when they stopped their nuclear programs – was a clear sign of Tehran’s intentions.
“Iran did not destroy the archives,” he said. “Iran hid the archives, lied about it [and] moved it from place to place, because they are seeking nuclear weapons. The American position prevents them from having nuclear weapons and brings [to an end] the cash machine they used to fund their conquest of the Middle East. Thank you America.”