German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to prevent a nuclear Iran as she spoke with Haifa University students in Jerusalem on Thursday morning.
Israel and Germany “share the view that everything must be done to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons,” Merkel told the students during a question-and-answer session.
The threat to Israel from Iran has become stronger due to its presence in Syria, Merkel said, noting that Iranian troops had been close to the Golan Heights border with Israel.
“It was a good thing that Russia saw to it that a withdrawal took place,” she added.
The point of disagreement with Israel, she said, is the question of the 2015 Iranian deal with the six world powers, including the US and Germany, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The question is whether the JCPOA “is the right way to prevent [Iran’s] nuclear armament, or is it too weak,” Merkel said.
Germany, like the European Union, holds that the deal is the best way to stave off a nuclear Iran, while Israel and the US believe that it strengthens the Tehran’s nuclear capacity. The Trump Administration has pulled out of the deal and would like countries like Germany to do the same.
Source » jpost