"Iran's stance towards Israel is unacceptable. We will say this again and again, loudly and clearly,’’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot.
Asked about the Israeli criticism of the nuclear deal with Iran signed last July, Merkel responded : ‘’The decisive question for us was whether signing the agreement would help regional security more than a situation without an agreement. At this point there are different assessments. Iran's nuclear capabilities have considerably grown since 2005. We reached the conclusion that the development could be stopped for now – for a relatively long amount of time. For this reason, the agreement looked like a better option than rejecting it – and instead allowing Iran to continue developing a nuclear capability.’’
She admitted that the agreement was not perfect and said she understood Israel’s opposition to the deal. But, she said, ‘’mechanisms were in place to reimpose the tight sanctions on Iran should it violate the terms of the agreement.’’
Germany was one of the P5+1 world powers that negotiated and signed the Vienna agreement with Tehran along with the US, Russia, China, the UK and France.
“I am mindful of Israel’s sensitivity about this topic and its lack of faith in Iran. After all, it is Israel that is directly threatened – but really all of us, the free world, are threatened by Iran arming itself with nuclear weapons,” she said.
“Even if I, like other partners, reached the conclusion that the pros outweigh the cons – I still cannot ignore the criticism leveled at the agreement. We do not have absolute certainty that Iran will truly take the path of transparency. In the event that Iran does not adhere to its commitment, the agreement allows for us to reinstate the sanctions.”
“Israel’s security was and is a very important matter for every German chancellor – and so it will be in the future, too,” Merkel said.
“My statement must be understood in a very comprehensive way. It is frequently reduced to the military aspect, but it refers to an entirely fundamental commitment to Israel’s security. We are certainly not neutral,” the Chancellor added.