The new US administration should not return to the same Iran deal’s spirit, which could spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said Monday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“We should not fool ourselves. I don’t believe that the spirit [of the Iran deal], with a time limit and so many escape clauses, will do anything other than bring nuclear weapons all over the Middle East and therefore create a situation of latent tension that sooner or later will break out,” the 97-year-old diplomat added.
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“The test case is the evolution of nuclear capacities in Iran. If these can be avoided, I do not say we shouldn’t talk to them,” he added.
Kissinger added that the US should not give up on what has recently been achieved in the agreements between the Arab world and the Israel.
“I would tell the incoming administration that we are on a good course. The accords have opened a window of opportunity for a new Middle East,” Kissinger said.
Kissinger added that the Arab countries understood that they could not survive in constant tension with parts of the West and Israel, so they decided they had to take care of themselves.
Normalizations with Israel show that the four states taking part “have concluded that their national interests transcend their ideological interests,” added Kissinger.
Kissinger added that the Palestinians need to give up on their “ultimate aims” and look for possible interim achievements.
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Last Update: Monday, 11 January 2021 KSA 19:49 – GMT 16:49
