Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has beamed a congratulatory message in the Farsi language to Iranians for their efforts “to liberate themselves from the burden of the oppressive regime” headed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Speaking through an interpreter on Israel Government Radio’s Persian channel, Ayalon said, “This is an aggressive dictatorial regime, and all progressive elements throughout the world should take action against it, if only for that reason. But in the end, it is the Iranian people themselves who must take their fate in their own hands and act to achieve their rights. The more the citizens of Iran increase their protest activities, the higher the international support will be.
“At international forums, Israel has raised the issue of the suffering of the Iranian people and the cruelty of the regime ruling them. That is the main thing we can do for such an illustrious nation suffering from oppression."
Ayalon reassured Iranians, "We bear no animosity towards the people of Iran; the regime is the problem. We have deep respect for them and aspire to cooperate with them to bring about a better reality in the region. The problem is intrinsic to the Iranian regime and its conduct, particularly regarding the nuclear issue. This is a regime that calls for 'Death to the United States, Great Britain and Israel'. The Iranian regime spreads instability, supports terror, and oppresses its own people. It is impossible to accept atomic weapons in the hands of such a regime."
Ayalon related to Iran’s unsupervised nuclear development and the fears that it is trying to achieve capability to bomb Israel with a nuclear warhead.
“The Iranian reactor constitutes a tremendous danger to the stability of the entire region and to world peace in general because, besides nuclear armaments, Iran is also developing a missile system that threatens countries beyond the Middle East, such as Europe,” Ayalon explained.
He added, “Nuclear weapons in Iran’s hands will enable it to threaten all the Arab governments with its present means [such as subversive elements and agents in various countries]. Even now it controls bodies that function as a state within a state, in Lebanon, Yemen, the Palestinian Authority and other places."
Ayalon fielded questioners from listeners, whose comments also were translated into Farsi.
In response to a question regarding the likelihood of regional war, the deputy minister replied, "There is always the possibility of sudden, unplanned deterioration due to one action or another. Israel is committed to defending its citizens and if attacked will act accordingly.
“A fear exists that Iran – as it becomes more pressured by sanctions – will goad those under its patronage in Hizbullah and Hamas to initiate military action against Israel. There’s also a possibility that Iran will make a military move against the Arab Gulf states and harm the flow of oil to the world, in which case the entire situation will degrade into widespread confrontations.
“Remember that the sanctions are aimed against Iran’s efforts to arm itself with nuclear weapons, and if they don’t elicit results, the United States and other nations might consider other options."