(AP/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. (APAndrew Harnik)

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz listed the reasons why he would oppose the Iran nuclear deal if he were an American, rejecting his US counterpart’s statement that Israelis should support it.

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who was entrusted with the Iran portfolio, rejected his American counterpart’s statement that if he were Israeli, he would support the Iran nuclear deal.

US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, speaking to visiting Israeli journalists on Monday as part of the Obama administration’s attempt to gain support for the deal, claimed that the accord would not threaten Israel’s existence. “If I were Israeli, I would support the nuclear deal,” Moniz stated.

“If I were American, I would oppose the agreement,” Steinitz asserted the following day. He went on to list the reasons for his opposition to the accord.

“I would oppose the agreement because it ensures from the outset Iran’s becoming a nuclear power capable of producing dozens of atomic bombs per month, 10 years from today,” he said.

“I would oppose the agreement because it is likely to lead to a nuclear arms race between Iran and the Sunni Arab states – in complete contravention of the avowed policy of the US.

“I would oppose the agreement because even in the short term, the inspections are not immediate and invasive, as was promised at the start.

“I would oppose the agreement because it harms the national security of the United States, Israel and every Western country,” he concluded.

Moniz, who was among the chief US negotiators of the deal, also stressed the strong bonds between Israel in the US, adding that despite disagreements on the Iran issue, this does not change “one iota who our friends and allies are in the region.”

By: Max Gelber, United with Israel

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