"We are working with the tools of diplomacy. But if that does not work, all options are on the table. We are ruling nothing out. Iran will not know what we are planning. Uncertainty, that is what needs to feel the Iranian regime," said Yaakov Hadas-Handelsman, Israel’s new Ambassador to Germany in his first interview with Bild daily newspaper.
"I always read in the newspapers here: What happens if there is war with Iran. People should ask instead: What if Iran has the bomb? The German media say Israel should not attack Iran. It sounds as if Iran is only an Israeli problem. It must finally be clear: Iran is a problem for the whole world," he said in the interview conducted in German.
"The country is now a regional superpower, and the regime wants to extend its power further. If they are only once in the possession of nuclear weapons, they were unassailable. You could dictate oil prices to block the Strait of Hormuz - this is not just a problem for Israel," he added.
The interview came as German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Sunday hat the chances that an Israeli attack on Iran will succeed "are not high" and that it would cause "obvious political damage."
In his interview, Ambassador Hadas-Handelsman said Israel "appreciates the friendship of Chancellor Merkel and the federal government very much." "We trust that Germany, with all his power and influence in Europe takes a responsible leadership role."
"Europe must stand together, and plays a central role in Germany. The biggest danger is if Iran thinks that he must move his head, until it is crisp passing wind."
The 54-year-old new ambassador in Berlin, a top post in Israel’s diplomacy, was born in Tel Aviv and served previously as ambassador to the European Union and NATO.