Israeli Minister Clarifies Remarks on U.S. Strategy Regarding Iran

Israel's Minister of Intelligence, Israel Katz, stated that his comments regarding the new U.S. strategy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran were "misunderstood." According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the Israeli Minister clarified on Saturday, October 14, that "he did not mean to imply that the new U.S. strategy would lead to war with Iran." Donald Trump emphasized on Friday, October 13, that the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement reached two years ago between world powers and Iran, does not validate the deal, adding that it must be changed in cooperation with allied countries and Congress, or else his administration will withdraw from it. Israel Katz was in the studio of Israel's Channel Two during Trump's remarks and immediately commented on the new White House strategy, which Reuters reported could lead to war with Iran. However, Katz's spokesperson now claims that the Minister's remarks about the certainty of war with Iran were misinterpreted. According to Reuters, the spokesperson said that the television host posed a lengthy question that concluded with whether the Minister felt the risk of war from this new American strategy, to which Katz responded, "Certainly, yes. I think the speech was very significant." However, the spokesperson added that the Minister's comments prior to answering the final part of the question were "a remark regarding the first part of the host's comments and he did not intend to suggest that a war would occur." The spokesperson stated that the Minister's remarks emphasized a "real change" that the new U.S. strategy could bring in addressing "threats posed by Iran, including the dangers of ballistic missiles, support for terrorist groups, and other destructive Iranian activities in the region and human rights violations in Iran." Israel Katz also mentioned in an interview with Channel Two that his country was involved in shaping the new U.S. strategy and that last month's meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump in New York was "the most important meeting of an Israeli leader with a U.S. President in the past 10 years." The Israeli Minister reiterated his longstanding view that "Iran is the new North Korea." Israeli media reported last month that the Minister had firmly urged Netanyahu to present three options regarding the JCPOA to the U.S. President: cancellation, suspension, or complete alteration of the agreement. Israel Katz is also a rival of Benjamin Netanyahu in taking over the leadership of the Likud party and the position of Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement of the new U.S. strategy regarding Iran on Friday night as a "brave step" in confronting a "bad deal" and congratulated Trump. According to Netanyahu, the new U.S. strategy is an "opportunity for direct confrontation with the terrorist regime of Iran." Israel and Iran have gone through numerous crises since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the advancement of Iran's nuclear program to the point that the international community questioned its military nature during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, alongside the previous Iranian President's policies of Holocaust denial and emphasis on "wiping Israel off the map," brought the Israel-Iran crisis into new phases. Despite this, the Israeli Prime Minister, who is the staunchest opponent of the JCPOA, stated two years ago that this agreement is a settled reality and that Iran's compliance with its commitments should be closely monitored from now on. The Israeli Prime Minister and many military commanders in the country, who had previously spoken of a "military option" against Iran, did not repeat this option after the JCPOA. However, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard provoked Israeli sensitivities just three months after the JCPOA was implemented by firing ballistic missiles inscribed with Hebrew saying "Israel must be wiped off the map" on the missile bodies. With Donald Trump's rise to power in the U.S., the Israeli government's hope for changing the JCPOA was revived, and Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on "cancellation or complete alteration of the JCPOA" in his three meetings with him in recent months. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani firmly rejected the new strategy announced by Donald Trump on Friday, emphasizing that no amendments would be added to the JCPOA. He also stated that Iran would continue its missile development program with "increased effort."