PM meets with Mnuchin in Jerusalem, meeting centered on US-Israeli alliance and combatting Iran, its nuclear program and efforts in Syria; Mnuchin and delegation met with Israel’s Finance Minister, talks centered on future infrastructure and bilateral economic cooperation.
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Jerusalem on Sunday, their meeting centered on Iran, its nuclear program and the JCPOA.
Netanyahu addressed the press, starting by reaffirming the strong bond between the State of Israel and the United States, highlighting the even stronger alliance under the Trump Administration “in intelligence, in security cooperation, in trade, in economic cooperation and of course, in our common approach to preventing aggression in this region”
Ahead of their meeting, he announced the center of discussion would be “how to stop Iran’s dual aggression: Its quest for a nuclear arsenal and its quest for a conventional arsenal and its plans of conquest in the Middle East,” and joint efforts to “roll back Iran’s aggression in the region”.
On the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (nuclear deal) he stated “The JCPOA affectively enabled Iran to pursue both paths of aggression: rather than blocking their path to atomic bomb, it actually paved their way to an entire nuclear arsenal. And it gave them… billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in cash, in credits, in investments, which enabled them to fund their growing aggression in the region.”
On Iran’s attempts to entrench itself in Syria, Netanyahu stated “We see that aggression in every part in the Middle East. We see it of course in our northern border in their attempts to entrench militarily in Syria, their attempts to bring deadliest weapons to Lebanon, to launch aggression through their proxies in Gaza and elsewhere.”
He praised the Trump Administration’s efforts in combatting Iran’s economic gain and support through stringent sanctions that are actively “ramping up the pressure against the world’s foremost terrorist regime – the aggressive regime in Tehran.”
The United States on Tuesday passed additional sanctions on two Iranian banks as well as some companies, including a tractor and a steel company supporting the Basij, a subordinate of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Mnuchin confirmed the sanctions were placed on networks providing “financial infrastructure to the Basij’s efforts to recruit, train, and indoctrinate child soldiers who are coerced into combat under the IRGC’s direction.”
Mnuchin highlighted and praised US investment in Israel, stating “We have a very important relationship with Israel. This is really a great place for investments, particularly technology investments.”
Mnuchin and his delegation also met with Israel’s Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon and his team, their meeting centered on future infrastructure and economic ties with the Jewish state.
Photo: mark reinstein/Shutterstock.com
