Danny Ayalon speaks on (Newsmax)
Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon told Newsmax on Saturday that Iran must abandon its nuclear and regional ambitions if it wants to be treated as a legitimate member of the international community.
Appearing on Newsmax’s “Saturday Report,” Ayalon said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi should not be mistaken for moderates as they travel to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly.
“The Iranian regime is trying to speak with two sides of their tongue,” Ayalon said. “The president of Iran and the foreign minister of Iran are trying to appease or to show as they are more moderate, but they are not, unfortunately.”
“The danger from them is just as big as it is from the ayatollahs,” he added.
Ayalon said President Donald Trump is in a strong position to deal with Tehran because Iranian leaders “understand that he means business.”
“So far, in the last 40 or so years, they have been enjoying, I would say, circumspection from world leaders not to deal with them,” Ayalon said. “The president showed that Iran is a paper tiger.”
Ayalon argued that Iran has been deterred from directly targeting Israel because “they know that we will respond in such a way that will render them obsolete.”
He also urged Gulf nations to take a larger role in confronting Iran.
“I hope that all nations, all peace-seeking nations, will join behind President Trump,” Ayalon said.
“First and foremost, the Gulf countries, which enjoy the best of American arms. But they are not using it. They should be in the front against Iran with the network and the logistics and the support that the United States gives.”
“I don’t think the United States should be on the ground there,” he added.
Asked about Iran-backed Houthis and threats to shipping around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Ayalon said the situation demonstrated that “if you do not stand to evil, evil will expand.”
“It is the Iranians that not only try to stop any flow of navigation in Hormuz, but they are now pushing the Houthis to do it in Bab el-Mandeb,” he said. “That’s really trying to paralyze the entire world trade.”
Ayalon said Tehran should not be treated as an equal negotiating partner, arguing that “they should understand that they have breached international law.”
“If they want to become a member of the international community as they come to the U.N. this week,” Ayalon said, “they must forfeit their nuclear ambitions and also their hegemonic ambitions in the region.”
Ayalon began the interview by congratulating Trump on what he called a “great diplomatic coup about Greenland,” saying Trump’s foreign policy is “being vindicated.”
“Isolationists should understand that American benevolent presence all over the world is important for the United States,” Ayalon said. “It makes Americans more safe at home.”
“The U.S. is the indispensable country,” he added. “We see it in the Middle East, we see it in Europe.”
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