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Comment and Opinion

Israel Hayom: An American about face, into the arms of Iran, by Yaakov Amidror

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Recently I was asked for my take on leaked information suggesting that European officials complained in closed meetings that the U.S. was conceding to Iran on nuclear demands in efforts to establish Iran as a stabilizing force in the region and to enlist Tehran as an ally in the battle against Islamic State. I refused to respond to such a strange, and in my view, implausible report. The idea sounded so absurd that I couldn’t help but reject its logic out of hand, and therefore its veracity. The journalist behind the report checked again and came back to me confident that her source was serious and reliable. When I agreed to be interviewed on the report, I spoke cautiously because I still thought it impossible that anyone in Washington would pin their hopes on Iran.

It is possible that I was wrong. During my visit to the U.S. two weeks ago I heard from several people that senior State Department officials were trying to sell Washington on the idea that a nuclear agreement with Iran will contribute to regional stability in the Middle East, and that future relations between Iran and the U.S. will advance U.S. interests; an American U-turn, heading toward a special relationship with Iran. In such a reality, if this relationship materializes, it is clear the U.S. would be jeopardizing Israel’s security for the sake of a sudden experimental partnership with a country that openly declares its intention to harm and even destroy Israel.

None of the people I spoke with mentioned the White House, the president or his men as the ones promoting the idea. Moreover, one White House official unequivocally denied it.

This perception, if the rumor is indeed true, is based on a misunderstanding of Iran’s intentions and its way of thinking about the Muslim world and its place in it. This misunderstanding stems from ignoring the Islamic republic’s political culture, its negotiation methods and its willingness to peddle illusions to its adversary (as a religious imperative). This miscalculation is compounded by the inexplicable and historically unfounded optimism over the ability of any type of deal to change the Iranian attitude.

Read the article in full at Israel Hayom.