Shaul Mofaz: Bolton Tried to Convince Me to Attack Iran's Facilities

Shaul Mofaz, a former Israeli general and statesman, stated that during his tenure as Defense Minister, John Bolton attempted to persuade him to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. According to Israeli media, Mofaz made these remarks on Sunday, April 5, at a conference organized by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel, titled 'Israel: A Success Story.' Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Bolton would replace General McMaster as National Security Advisor at the White House. Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during George W. Bush's presidency, has been at the forefront of Israeli news following his appointment, with several senior officials in Israel describing him as a 'true friend of Israel' and welcoming his firm views regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mofaz, who is a former Chief of Staff and Defense Minister of Israel, noted at the conference that he has known Bolton for a long time and that when Bolton was the U.S. ambassador to the UN, he sought to convince him to attack Iran's nuclear sites. Bolton has not yet responded to Mofaz's statements. Mofaz added, 'I think that an attack (on Iran) is not a wise move; neither by the Americans at this time nor by anyone else unless there is a real threat.' According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Mofaz and three other former Chiefs of Staff of the Israeli army expressed their opposition to the cancellation of the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, considering it a wrong move. General Moshe Ya'alon, who was Defense Minister in the previous Netanyahu government, General Benny Gantz, and General Dan Halutz were the other three former Chiefs of Staff who agreed that the coming months would not be a time of war for Israel in the region. The opposition of the four former Chiefs of Staff to the cancellation of the JCPOA comes as Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized during his recent visit to the U.S. that if the nuclear deal with Iran is not fundamentally changed, it is better to cancel it altogether. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the foreign ministers of France and Germany are heading to Israel to discuss the fate of the JCPOA with Netanyahu. According to Haaretz, Heiko Maas, the new German foreign minister, arrived in Israel on Sunday and will meet with the Prime Minister on Monday. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, is also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Monday. Le Drian, who recently met with senior officials of the Iranian government during a trip to Tehran, called on the European Union last week to impose more sanctions against Iran's missile program. European powers have recently been trying to keep the U.S. in the JCPOA. Trump's four-month deadline to address what he calls the 'deficiencies' of the JCPOA ends on May 12. On the other hand, Iran has emphasized that it will not agree to renegotiate the JCPOA or discuss its missile program.