Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, said on Friday that he is concerned about the slowness of the international community regarding Iran's nuclear program but is encouraged by the fact that Arab countries are speaking out against Iran.
Speaking to Channel 10 News in a special interview in his office in New York, Prosor said that Israel’s diplomatic efforts in regards to the Iranian nuclear threat are like a train “traveling from London to Paris at a very fast speed,” whereas the international community’s efforts regarding Iran are like “a slow running train which stops at every station.”
Prosor said, however, that he is seeing reasons for optimism in what he described as the awakening of the European countries regarding Iran, a fact which is reflected in the latest rounds of sanctions on the Iranian oil industries.
“Especially in light of what is happening today in the Arab world, there is an understanding that this issue will change the Middle East, not just militarily,” Prosor said, noting that countries such as Britain and France and even China and Russia are becoming aware of the danger of a nuclear Iran. “The recent sanctions against the Iranian central bank and its oil industry show that Europe has awakened to the Iranian nuclear threat.”
He added that recent reports by the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) are a public statement of the international community that leaves no room for doubt that Iran has a military weapons program. "Countries cannot remain on the fence about it,” stressed Prosor.
Prosor also noted the importance of Arab countries speaking out against Iran and its nuclear program.
“An interesting thing is happening here,” he said. “We saw here the Saudi ambassador speaking out against Iran, you see the Gulf states speaking out against Syria. The Syrian representative is speaking against the Bahrainis and against the Saudis. These are things that did not happen before. There are common interests between countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel and we need to find a way to promote them, but I won’t elaborate further.”
When asked whether he has heard Arab diplomats saying behind closed doors that they support an attack on Iran, Prosor responded with “Yes.”
“There's something happening in our regional environment,” he said. “Look at what is happening in Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. There are historical processes taking place before our eyes, and they are very significant.”
(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)