JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel is maintaining a pressure campaign urging President Joe Biden not to sign the Iranian nuclear deal. The latest effort includes a plea from thousands who spent their careers protecting Israel.
A letter signed by dozens of former Israeli generals to Biden represents 5,000 representatives across Israel’s military, security and law enforcement agencies.
“We published a letter calling (on) President Biden not to sign the agreement with Iran. We think that this agreement is a huge threat to Israel, to the Middle East, to the whole world. And it basically paves the way, legally, for the Iranians to become a nuclear power at the end of the agreement in 2031,” says Reserve Brig. General Amir Avivi, Founder of the Israel Defense And Security Forum.
According to Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office, he spoke directly to Biden about “their shared commitment to stopping Iran’s progress towards a nuclear weapon.”
The statement added that Biden “emphasized his deep commitment…to preserving Israel’s capability to deter its enemies and to defend itself by itself against any threat.”
Avivi believes a nuclear Iran is a “future existential threat to Israel” and a potential agreement is “just kicking the can along the road.”
“This is basically agreeing to have a nuclear Iran in a few years and agreeing basically to lift sanctions and give a huge amount of money to weaponize all their militias and destabilize the Middle East,” Avivi told CBN News.
Avivi says this would have a global impact.
“If the Middle East is destabilized the price of oil will go up. The world chain of supply will be affected. Terrorism will be everywhere,” he says.
After a briefing from Lapid, Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to Iran’s leadership.
“I want to send a very clear message to the Ayatollahs in Iran… with an agreement or without an agreement they will never get a nuclear weapon,” he warned.
Supporters of re-entering the deal, like Biden, believe the original 2015 accord effectively restrained Iran’s nuclear capabilities although critics say military intelligence reports and UN inspectors have refuted that conclusion.
“For us, this deal doesn’t make sense. It’s very, very dangerous and we call upon the president of the United States to stop this deal and go back to sanctions and a viable military option,” says Avivi.
The White House confirmed that during the conversation with Lapid that Biden “underscored US commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
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