Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to persuade President Donald Trump to impose tough new sanctions on Iran for threatening Israel with ballistic missiles and bankrolling terrorism, a close adviser said.
The restrictions would aim to inflict damage in the same way that blocking money transfers did before Iran signed the 2015 agreement to curtail its nuclear program, said Michael Oren, a deputy cabinet minister to Netanyahu and his former ambassador to the U.S. The Israeli leader was among the most outspoken opponents of the deal and relishes the prospect of renewed confrontation if Iran violates its terms, he said.
“That’s a ‘Dirty Harry’ moment,” Oren said in an interview on Thursday in Tel Aviv, referring to the brinkmanship adopted by Clint Eastwood’s detective in the 1971 movie. “You have to exact a price for Iranian behavior.”
Trump is flying to Israel on May 22 from Saudi Arabia, which is also pushing the president to get tough on Iran. Trump has described the nuclear deal as a “disaster” and this week imposed new sanctions on Iran over its missile program -- ahead of the country’s presidential election on Friday.
