Top Israeli missile engineer issues warning over Iran nuclear deal
Preeminent Israeli expert on missile defence Uzi Rubin provided an insightful talk at an AIJAC luncheon discussing the flaws of the Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Colin Rubenstein and Uzi Rubin
Mr Rubin welcomed the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, which he described as a terrible agreement. He said that the objectives of the nuclear deal by world powers were to “kick the can down the road” with the hope that the Iranian regime would “mellow” in the interim. However, the Iranian regime’s aggressive regional behavior since the deal was made has shown the opposite to be true. Iran has used sanctions relief to increase its military investment and support Iranian proxies in foreign conflicts. He argues that a “loophole” in the JCPOA has also enabled Iran to claim that it is able to develop ballistic weapons, and that it is currently developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons under the cover of its “space ” program. Mr Rubin also claims that there is evidence of Iranian ballistic weapons being sent to and being used by Iran’s allies – including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza.
Moreover, Mr Rubin believes that the other goals of the nuclear deal were not to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons, but to forestall an attack on its nuclear facilities and allow for the resumption of lucrative trade. He claimed that Iran intended to restart its nuclear weapons program once the JCPOA expired, and that its facilities such as the Arak nuclear reactor were capable of being repaired, as noted by a senior Iranian official.
Mr Rubin was the founder and director of the Arrow program to defend against long-range missiles in the Israeli Ministry of Defence, and is in Australia participating in a conference as a guest of the Australian National University.
