Netanyahu’s Threats Undermine Possible Nuclear Deal With Iran

In his latest statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a “wolf in wolf's clothing” and claimed new Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani is a “wolf in sheep's clothing. Smile and build a bomb.” He then proposed to the United States that "if sanctions don't work, they have to know that you'll be prepared to take military action — that's the only thing that will get their attention.”

In reaction to the Iranians electing a moderate president, Rouhani, almost all the 46 members of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, called on the White House to intensify pressure on Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Moreover, a US official revealed that Washington has assured Tel Aviv that despite the victory of a moderate president in the Iranian election, the United States intends to increase sanctions and pressures on Iran.

On July 21, while Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated on Iran’s reediness for “engagement,” expressed his skepticism about talks with the United States. “The stance of American officials over past months once again confirms that one should not be optimistic," he told the officials.

In 2005, a comment by Ahmadinejad, repeated often and interpreted by many as calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map” was manipulated by Netanyahu to press the international community to expedite the referral of Iran’s nuclear file to UN Security Council, paving the way for comprehensive sanctions. While Ahmadinejad’s statement about Israel was both mistranslated and misinterpreted, there is no dispute surrounding the repercussions. Years after Ahmadinejad’s comments, in April 2012, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor acknowledged that Iran’s president never actually said that Israel “must be wiped off the map.”