Netanyahu at the UN: Continuation of the JCPOA Will Turn Iran into Another North Korea

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, on Tuesday, September 19, called on the global community during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to either cancel or fundamentally change the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. Speaking on the first day of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu stated that if there is no change in the nuclear agreement with Iran, it will result in Iran becoming another North Korea. Netanyahu added that those who defend the agreement claim it will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He noted that similar arguments were made regarding the nuclear agreement with North Korea, and we know the outcome of that. If conditions do not change, this agreement will lead to a similar result. The Israeli Prime Minister compared the JCPOA to the 1990s agreement between world powers and North Korea, stating that the current conditions of the JCPOA allow Iran to act like a 'hungry tiger' and 'tear and devour' the region. He warned that if this 'Islamic Empire' is equipped with a nuclear bomb capable of being launched anywhere in the world, one can only imagine the consequences. Netanyahu also praised the speech of US President Donald Trump, which was delivered just hours before his own, calling it the first speech by Trump at the UN General Assembly. Netanyahu remarked that as someone who has been Israel's ambassador to the UN for years and has now been Prime Minister for years, he had 'never heard such a brave speech' as Trump's from this podium. Trump had described the JCPOA as 'a source of shame for America' and stated, 'If this agreement is a cover for a nuclear program, we will not accept it.' Netanyahu expressed clear encouragement from Trump's speech regarding Iran, noting that he himself had described the JCPOA as 'a source of shame' two years prior at the UN. According to Netanyahu, Iran has cast a veil of intimidation and terror over the Middle East after the JCPOA, from Iraq and Syria to other areas. The Israeli Prime Minister also stated that his country 'acts to ensure that Iran does not have a military base in the region and does not approach Israel's northern borders,' and that 'Iran's military intervention in Syria and Lebanon will not go unanswered.' Netanyahu claimed that Iran has threatened to destroy his country, adding, 'Those who threaten Israel with destruction put themselves at risk, but Israel will defend itself with all its military might.' Repeating the name of Iran 36 times in his speech, he said, 'I have a simple message for the dictator of Iran, Ayatollah (Ali) Khamenei; the light of Israel will never be extinguished.' He expressed the phrases 'the light of Israel will never go out' and 'the eternity of Israel is never a lie' in Hebrew. Netanyahu also conveyed another message to the Iranian people; 'The day you are free, we will be close friends again, and the ancient friendship between our nations will flourish once more.' He referenced the name of Neda Agha-Soltan, the Iranian girl killed during the events of the 2009 Iranian protests, stating, 'I will never forget the bloody face of Neda, who died on the pavements of Tehran, and like Neda, I will never forget the Iranian people.' The Israeli Prime Minister addressed the Iranian people in Persian, saying, 'We love you.' Netanyahu had met with Donald Trump in New York on Monday, where the US President stated that his administration's policy on the JCPOA 'will soon be clear.' While calling for the cancellation or fundamental change of the JCPOA in his speech, Netanyahu faced a contrasting statement from Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei on international affairs, who said in Tehran on Tuesday that 'the Islamic Republic will not negotiate the JCPOA again under any circumstances.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also stated in an interview with CNN on Monday and then in a speech to a number of Americans in New York that the US would pay a 'heavy price' for a potential exit from the JCPOA, and 'the loss will be 100% on America.' Rouhani added that 'if international agreements are violated based on the whims of an individual, then as we Iranians say, there will be no stone left upon stone... and this invites chaos in the world.' Ayatollah Khamenei also stated on Sunday at Tehran's Police University that any wrong action by the US would face a decisive response from Iran. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, called the JCPOA a 'good agreement' just hours before Netanyahu's speech and stated that 'non-compliance with it would be irresponsible.'