The Trump administration remains committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and sees no meaningful shift in the regime’s attitude, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
He dismissed the notion that Washington sees a new pragmatic leadership emerging in Tehran
Asked whether recent statements by US officials had raised concern in Israel that Washington’s approach to Iran may have changed, particularly regarding the possibility that “pragmatic new guys” in the Iranian leadership could alter the regime’s course, Huckabee said: “I don’t think so. I don’t think we’re seeing a change of attitude.”
US President Donald Trump remained firm on his bottom line regarding Iran, he said.
“President Trump’s been incredibly clear that he’ll stay with his commitment that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he added. “They’re not going to be able to be a continued threat to Israel and the United States.”
The US administration hoped a peaceful agreement would lead the Iranian regime to change its ambitions, Huckabee said.
“If not, the president has made it clear, he keeps all of his options on the table,” he said.
Huckabee: Lebanon agreement prevents Iran from dominating talks
Regarding the Lebanon memorandum of understanding (MOU), Huckabee said he had been personally involved.
“I was right in the middle of it for five different meetings,” he said. “I think it is historic.”
The MOU was significant because it prevented Iran from dominating the diplomatic process between Israel and Lebanon, Huckabee said.
“It preempted the Iranians from thinking they could control this process, and it really put it in the hands of the two sovereign countries, of Lebanon and Israel, where it belongs,” he said.
The agreement reflected a shared understanding by Israel and Lebanon that the central threat in the North is Hezbollah, Huckabee said.
“The agreement was an extraordinary step forward for peace between these two countries, where both of them realize that the enemy is not each other,” he said. “The enemy is the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.”
Asked whether he saw genuine commitment from the Lebanese government to implement the understandings, Huckabee said: “Absolutely, I do. They came with the desire to make this work.”
Agreeing on the MOU had required difficult diplomacy, but both sides ultimately moved forward, he said.
“Everybody had to really take deep breaths, work hard to get there, but they did it, and that’s what makes it so significant,” he added.
Huckabee: Israel has right to act against Hezbollah threats
Israel’s right to act against threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon and to defend itself had been accepted by both sides, Huckabee said.
“They absolutely have a right to defend themselves,” he said. “That’s never been questioned.”
Part of the agreement was the understanding that Hezbollah’s threats against Israel could be met with Israeli action, Huckabee said.
“If Hezbollah threatens Israel or its people, they have every right to seek to stop it, and that is not a violation of the ceasefire or anything else,” he said.
The interview took place on what Huckabee described as a historic day for the US Embassy in Jerusalem. He credited Trump’s 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the subsequent embassy move with leading to the establishment of a permanent embassy complex.
“We wouldn’t be here if President Trump hadn’t made the important decision back in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital,” he said.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Huckabee, in the presence of Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, signed an agreement at the Foreign Ministry, allocating land for the construction of a permanent compound of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
The agreement marked the beginning of the US Embassy’s transition from its current premises to its permanent new home in Jerusalem, which is referred to as the eternal capital of Israel.
Huckabee rejected the notion that US-Israel ties were weakening.
“I don’t see that at all,” he said. “Today, if we couldn’t be any clearer, we are putting a permanent mark in the ground today, and I think that the relationship is incredibly strong, and it will be for time immemorial.”