Israeli Diplomat: Accepting the JCPOA is Conditional on Ending Iran's Missile Program

The Israeli ambassador to Russia states that if Iran ends its long-range missile production program, Israel might accept the JCPOA, provided it has been fundamentally changed. Gary Korn, the Israeli ambassador in Moscow, expressed satisfaction with the developments following Donald Trump's decision two weeks ago to withdraw from the JCPOA in an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax on Friday, May 28. According to Korn, "Israel was trying to convince other countries, including Russia, that the JCPOA is insufficient to end Iran's intentions," and with the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement, "Israel is no longer alone in this struggle." The ambassador pointed out that Israel's position is clear: the JCPOA must either be completely changed or entirely canceled. Korn stated that the JCPOA must be transformed in a way that ends Iran's nuclear and missile plans. He noted that in such a case, Israel might also accept an agreement with Iran, adding, "We must wait and see." In the interview, Korn referred to Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference 19 days ago revealing documents about Iran's nuclear program that "came into Israel's possession," stating that the JCPOA was based on Iran's lies that its goal was not to produce a nuclear bomb, but Israel has not yet revealed all its information about Iran's nuclear program. According to the ambassador, Israel may release more information from the half-ton of documents it possesses regarding Iran in the future. Korn added that the situation for Israel and the countries that signed the JCPOA with Iran is "completely different" because Iran continues to threaten Israel with destruction, and from Israel's perspective, "the JCPOA is not worth the paper it is signed on." He stated, "Israel cannot trust Iran, neither in the past nor now." Iran, which claims its nuclear program has only "peaceful goals," is making extensive efforts to keep the agreement alive with the other five powers following the U.S. withdrawal and has especially requested strong guarantees from the three European powers for adherence to it. Korn noted that Iran's ballistic missiles reach not only Israel but also half of Europe, including Moscow, claiming that "the only reason Iran pursues its missile program is to equip them with nuclear warheads." European powers have emphasized that preserving the JCPOA is important to persuade Iran to negotiate on other significant issues, including its ballistic missiles and regional presence. Iran has so far strongly resisted Western requests to negotiate over its missile program, insisting that this program is for the defense of a country that has faced threats such as war from neighbors in the not-so-distant past. However, according to the Israeli ambassador in Moscow, the threat from Iran to Israel is not only due to the nuclear file and Iran's long-range missiles but also because Iran's influence in the Middle East has expanded, and Iranian military forces and their Shiite allies have approached Israel's borders. On May 20, Israel attacked "more than 50 targets of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Syria" in response to "rocket attacks from Syria" towards the Golan Heights; Israel considered this event a direct military aggression by Iran in Syria against itself and emphasized that from now on, it would respond harshly not only to any aggression from Iran and its allies from Syria and Lebanon but also that all Iranian military targets in Syria would be targeted. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson described these rocket attacks as "Syria's counter-defense." The heavy Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets in Syria occurred shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu returned from talks with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Russia's silence regarding Israel's attacks eight days ago on "Iranian targets in Syria," which some analysts in Israeli media interpreted as Moscow's complicity, comes while Russia has been encouraging European powers to maintain the JCPOA, contrary to Israel's explicit position on the agreement. However, in recent days, the Israeli Prime Minister has emphasized the need for stricter measures against Iran in phone conversations with leaders of Germany, Britain, and other countries and expressed satisfaction with the U.S. efforts to form an international coalition against Iran. Heather Nauert, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, stated on Thursday that the Trump administration is working to create a coalition "not unlike the anti-ISIS coalition" with the participation of countries around the world to address not only the nuclear program but also all of Iran's destabilizing actions that threaten the region and the world.