‘You will never see a McDonald’s opening in Tehran’

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon says that “security relations [with the US] are really very good,” despite the “deep-seated difference of opinion” Israel has with the White House over Iran, which Ya’alon terms “an existential issue.”

Speaking live to Channel 2 news immediately after the airing of an interview with White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, Ya’alon disagrees with Rhodes’ praise of the Iran deal, saying that “as they speak about the number of centrifuges, Iran takes over Yemen… the Golan Heights, Hezbollah – this doesn’t even need mentioning – and all these things were not mentioned in the negotiations.”

“There is obviously a threat here to the State of Israel,” Ya’alon says, and instead of blocking [Iran], they pave its road,” retroactively whitewashing “all its violations of international treaties.”

Asked what Israel can do, Ya’alon says “we have not yet exhausted” all options. The final agreement, he said, “has yet to be written and signed, and there are many holes. It is the prime minister’s duty to bring these to the surface, as he indeed does.”

Asked whether Israel is being “paranoid” in its reaction to the deal, Ya’alon says “I suggest you listen to Arab countries, what they say behind closed doors, not to the media. We have a new situation here with a common enemy and common interests.”

Ya’alon emphasizes that despite Netanyahu’s disagreement with Obama on the Iranian issue, the US “are listening to us very well and channels are open.” Asked again whether cooperation on defense matters suffered due to the two leaders differences of opinion, Ya’alon answers emphatically: “certainly not, certainly not.”

The almost ceaseless locking of horns between Netanyahu and Obama comes “not from obsession [by Netanyahu] but by a worldview we do not share” on Iran.

Ya’alon warns that regardless of US overtures, and the White House’s apparent acceptance of Shiite Iran’s aspirations to become a Middle Eastern powerhouse, the West will not open up to Iran.

“You will not see a McDonald’s opening in Tehran. ‘Death to America’ was chanted in Iran even as President Obama was making his Nowruz greetings recently.”