For more than two decades, Ephraim Sneh, a former minister from the Labor Party, has been following Iran’s nuclear project with great concern. As a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in 1992, he drew the attention of then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to Iran’s aspirations to develop a nuclear bomb. Since then and in every capacity he has served, including as deputy defense minister, he has not let up on this subject, delving deep into it. In an interview with Al-Monitor on the day the sanctions were lifted, he depicted a grim picture of what the “Iranian victory” means to world peace, calling it a "black day" not only for Israel but for humanity in general.

The full text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor:  The economic sanctions on Iran were lifted after it was established that it had complied with its part of the agreement, so why are you still concerned?

Sneh:  Because when you induct one of the darkest and most benighted regimes on earth into the family of nations and give it a red-carpet treatment, that is a black day for humanity. What it means is that the international community — indeed, the most important democracies — has lost its moral bearings. Those countries did not have the courage to confront this regime. Instead, they opted for a compromise that has satisfied most of Tehran’s demands.