Tehran's Reaction to Israeli President's Emphasis on Sanctioning Iran

The statements made by the President of Israel, who stated that "the Iranian monster should be starved, not fed," were met with a sharp response from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who described them as "anti-Iranian" and "racist." However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry emphasized that the President's remarks referred to the Iranian government, not the Iranian people. Reuven Rivlin, during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, October 12, criticized the recent European agreement with Iran to circumvent U.S. sanctions, stating, "The only way to maintain stability in the Middle East is to starve the Iranian monster, not to feed it." According to Wynet, Rivlin added that his country could not remain silent against the recent decision of the European Union, as it is now "time to join effective sanctions against Iran, not to circumvent them." The Israeli President referred to a mechanism established by the 1+4 group of countries to bypass U.S. sanctions, which was achieved during a meeting two weeks ago of the foreign ministers of Iran, Germany, Britain, France, Russia, and China at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. One day after the Israeli President's remarks, Bahram Qasemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, addressed those he called "self-absorbed racists devoid of reason and decorum," warning of the "consequences of what flows from their mouths and thoughts regarding the Iranian nation." According to ISNA, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, October 13, that the "ill-minded, wicked, and devilish leaders of Israel" who "have tried to deceive, trick, and hypocritically separate the people of Iran from their government... have lost control of their speech" and with "greater clarity and shameless insult, revealed their devilish anti-Iranian mindset." This spokesperson claimed that Israel "once again showed" that it "burns in a venomous and endless hatred." However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reiterated on Friday that "as always, the criticism of Israeli officials is directed at the Islamic Republic regime, not the Iranian people," and "in this case, Mr. Rivlin meant the Iranian government." Raz Zimet, an Israeli who writes about Iran in his country's media, tweeted that Iranian users on social media, including critics of the Iranian government, reacted strongly to the word 'monster' used by Reuven Rivlin, suggesting that the President should have used a different term or clarified that he meant the Iranian government to maintain the important distinction between the Iranian people and the Iranian government. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have consistently emphasized that they distinguish between the Iranian people and the ruling government in Tehran; Netanyahu has recently told Iranians that Israel will be the first country to renew old friendly relations with the Iranian people if the current 'terrorist' government in Tehran is removed, and will share its rich experiences, including in water management, with Iranians. Nonetheless, Israel insists on the necessity for all countries to join these types of sanctions as it approaches November 4, the date for the re-imposition of tougher American sanctions against Iran following Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA. Despite the U.S. having exited the JCPOA on August 6 and warning countries and global companies about future cooperation with Iran, the governments of Germany, France, and Britain still claim that new negotiations with Iran, including over its missile programs, can be pursued through maintaining the JCPOA. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country is one of the remaining members of the JCPOA, has expressed satisfaction with the mechanism for circumventing American sanctions against Iran. In a speech last week at the United Nations General Assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu announced the existence of "a secret nuclear warehouse" in Torqozabad, near Tehran, and stated that his country would attack Iranian targets in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and elsewhere; Iran responded by stating that Israel itself has a real nuclear arsenal and openly threatens Iran. Meanwhile, verbal violence and threatening behaviors from Tehran towards Israel have also increased in recent days. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a missile attack early Monday on ISIS targets in eastern Syria, which was a response to a recent attack on the anniversary parade of the Iran-Iraq war in Ahvaz, had written the slogan "Death to Israel" in Persian on the bodies of the missiles; in response, the Israeli Prime Minister said this writing reflects the nature of the Iranian regime. Additionally, according to Iranian media, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard, told thousands of Basij forces in Isfahan on Friday that "(Benjamin) Netanyahu should practice swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, as soon he will have no choice but to flee to the sea."