Jerusalem – During the ongoing talks in Geneva between Iran and Germany, France, and Great Britain, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar makes clear in an interview with BILD what his country is concerned about.
The Israeli line is clear and includes these three goals:"We have named the nuclear program, the missile program, and the elimination program as the official and declared goals of this war." Sa'ar, however, declined to say whether Iran's top leadership, such as Supreme Mullah Ali Khamenei, is among them:"We never talk in advance about what we will do."
Regime change in Iran is not yet part of the strategy: "The Security Cabinet has not yet defined regime change as a goal in this war. At least not yet."
Sa’ar considers talks in Geneva pointless
Before the Geneva talks, Sa’ar had exchanged views with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot (42), and a telephone conversation with Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (62, CDU) was also planned.
Sa'ar doesn't believe in a diplomatic solution. On the contrary, he's exhausted the path of negotiations with Tehran:"I don't really believe in diplomacy with Iran. All previous diplomatic efforts have been unsuccessful."
He therefore views the ongoing talks in Geneva with skepticism: "They usually use these talks to deceive, buy time, and achieve further progress (meaning: in the nuclear program, editor's note). And I don't believe they will change their behavior." Tehran must be willing to abandon uranium enrichment in Iran.
The minister continued:"Diplomacy is not a magic formula for whitewashing states' positions. I have not yet seen any concrete offer from the Iranians that indicates they have changed their minds. Currently, they are not even cooperating with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency, editor's note). Inspection is not working at the moment."
Merz has “demonstrated leadership”
Israel's Foreign Minister praised Chancellor Friedrich Merz (69, CDU), who had described Israel's military strikes as"dirty work" in the name of the free world: "I think he has demonstrated leadership with a genuine analysis of the situation and the dangers posed by Iran to the world and the international community."
Sa'ar clearly rejects the accusation that Israel's actions violate international law:"Defending oneself against someone who threatens annihilation and acts accordingly is not a violation of international law."
At the end, Israel's foreign minister makes a strong appeal to Europe's governments:"We know that Iran has long been trying—and probably now more than ever—to attack Jews and Israelis in Europe."
