Israel’s Ambassador to the United States strongly urged Joe Biden not to re-enter the so-called Iran nuclear deal as he promised during the presidential campaign, saying to do so would be a “mistake.”
Miami-born and raised Ron Dermer, 49, who moved to Israel and became a citizen in the late 1990s, made his comments during a panel discussion in Washington hosted by the Economic Club with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“I think it would be a mistake and hopefully he will look at the Middle East as it is, he will see the benefits of [the normalization] process, of how he can continue that process, and I think to not go back into the same deal,” Dermer said according to the Times of Israel.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was negotiated in 2015 by the administration of then-President Barack Obama and placed limits on Iran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for the reduction of economic sanctions, but then removed them after 15 years.
President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018.
Biden has suggested he would re-establish the deal.
Dermer compared the Iran nuclear deal to the unsuccessful negotiations the Obama administration conducted in 2009 with North Korea which included Japan and South Korea. The Iran nuclear deal talks included the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, but no one else in the Middle East.
“The first thing I would say to the incoming administration: ‘Sit with your allies in the region. Listen to us. We have the most skin in the game. We have the most to lose. Speak to us,’” Dermer said. “‘Try to work out a common position, which I think is possible, not only to do with nuclear issues but also to deal with the regional aggression of Iran.’”
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.