Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen was interviewed today (Monday) by Makor Rishon’s political correspondent Hoodia Shark Hazoni at the newspaper’s economic conference at the nation’s buildings in Jerusalem. “Unequivocally – Israel is in good hands.”
In his opening remarks, he spoke extensively on the Iranian issue and the nuclear deal being formed in talks in Vienna, saying: “We can not be in a situation where Iran has the potential to go nuclear. There is a lot of talk about where Iran is. Threshold. “It has left Iran with phenomenal nuclear capabilities.”
“In practice – these enriching sites that worry us to this day have not been closed. The ability to enrich has been maintained. Moreover, and here the main concern – the Iranians were given the right written in the agreement, to develop even more advanced centrifuges than they had. The agreement. ”
“It made us see, at an intelligence level – today I do not see intelligence but a few months ago I saw – Iran is constantly advancing its capabilities to reach the point you talked about, a threshold country. How to become a threshold country – build a team of scientists It was run by Muhsin Fakhri-Zada. This institute exists. Scientists on behalf of the leader and the president continue to advance nuclear capabilities. Potentially linked. Continue to enrich and more – the centrifuges enrich, before there was an exit from the agreement. Iranian. ”
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“What does this mean? The agreement, unfortunately, according to the seller and it seems to us at the moment, is not going to be long and certainly not strong, because we saw the agreement end in terms of its schedules. Another minute the agreement expired. It will expire. Then, Iran “In principle, according to its own decision, with capabilities built under the auspices and under the auspices of the agreement, to build even better nuclear capabilities in the field of enrichment, and also the Safand Institute that continued to serve. It is not written that it should be closed or should be closed under the agreement.”
“Therefore, the effort was to understand what Iran is doing. We brought intelligence, they said that is what Iran looks like and that is what it aspires to. We understood that under the auspices of the agreement our situation is deteriorating. Not improving. Iran’s situation “We see the agreement coming to an end.”
“Submitted to the US administration at the time to the head of the CIA and to all other systems including the Atomic Energy Agency, materials that unequivocally claimed that Iran would lie. It hid a lot of capabilities we did not know, operated secret sites we did not know. “The Iranians are lying.”
“One more thing is no less important. There is the potential of the military dimension. Iran was asked before signing the previous agreement to come and explain what you did. Iran claimed – we are not a military nucleus. We have never had such plans. We have proven that Iran will happen.”
“Iran actually suffers from a certain softness. It was called that during all the negotiations. Why Iran got into negotiations that led them to an agreement in 2015 because there were huge sanctions from the Obama administration. And Iran’s economic downturn has been declining. She said I have no choice – get married and given. Come to the negotiations and do this thing out of faith. At the same time it will allow them to develop nuclear capabilities at all times unhindered. He is allowed to do so according to the theory of the agreement. “
“The agreement was not rightly liked by President Trump and he decided to get out of it and re-impose the sanctions that were lifted when the agreement was signed. That is the situation up to this moment. A whole year with the Biden administration, the sanctions are in place. “Or at least I and the current prime minister claim that repeating the nuclear deal is a strategic mistake. He said this during his visit to the King of Bahrain. I agree.”
“What the United States and the West along with Russia and China need to insist on is a much more dramatic achievement vis-à-vis Iran. Returning to the bottom line if possible, or to the starting point – is an important issue. It is in our minds. This thing concerns the security of every Israeli citizen.”
“Iran is enriching in vain, unless it anticipates the use of a military nucleus with the enriched uranium. It has nothing to do with the uranium it is currently enriching. It is enriching and diluting. According to the agreement. “According to its decision alone – to a nuclear bomb. This can not be accepted in the State of Israel. The Americans also declare not.”
Cohen expressed support forWarming relations with Turkey He said: “I am in favor of the new move. I think that after years of dual relations, on the one hand Turkey maintains open relations with the State of Israel, embassies and ambassadors more and less often. Such and other humiliations. They have deteriorated at the political level. I am in favor of returning our relations with the Turks to the right place.
“I believe that in diplomacy it is also possible to pay more attention to our just demands to completely shut down Hamas’ presence in Turkey. You have addressed this. There have been moves on this issue in the past as well. We know our demands in the past as well. “The move is right and necessary. I remind all of us – Turkey was really one of our strategic friends in the region before the Abrahamic Accords and before there were other friendships. It remained an important country. This thing is important that we continue to maintain proper diplomatic relations with this country.”
Cohen later referred to Israel’s conduct in relation to the Ukraine-Russia crisis and said: “It is better to sit in a corner quietly. We have the ability to go in or put our heads under the axes, not ours.”
On cooperation with the Gulf states, he said: “Part of the Mossad’s role is to fight. For the citizens of the State of Israel for our security. A significant part of its role is to fight for peace. And peace with non-peace states at some point. “Creating a dynamic of mutual contribution. Without referring to one specific country or another to bring a country to a better understanding of who we are and to show that we are good people with whom we should also make peace agreements, public, future, there are secret collaborations for both parties.”
He ruled out the possibility of a possible transition to politics: “Not at the moment. I am in a completely business world. Not in any political activity, not a member of any party. Not active in any similar aspect or reminiscent of such matters.
On the previous prime minister, he said: “Former Prime Minister Netanyahu was a prime minister who saw in my eyes the positions I held closer to him than before, both in the National Security Council and as head of the Mossad. He saw the State of Israel and its security at the top of his professional priorities.”
However, when asked what he thinks about the leadership and whether at the current point in time Israel is in good hands, he surprised and replied – “unequivocally yes”.