Over 5K former senior Israeli officers write letter to Biden urging him not to sign new Iran nuclear deal
The Israeli defense officials argue that a new Iran nuclear deal would pave the way for nuclear proliferation in the region
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over 5,000 Israeli defense officers signed on to a letter to President Biden urging him not to sign a rekindled nuclear deal with Iran, arguing that the deal currently being negotiated gives Iran a clear path to nuclear weapons.
"Despite your administration’s repeated declared commitment to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, this agreement creates a clear legal pathway for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons by 2031, while denying the signatories of any tools to prevent that eventuality," reads the letter from Israel's Defense and Security Forum to Biden, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
The letter comes after reports last week indicated that a renewed deal with Iran could be nearing a reality in part because Iran had dropped some demands on which the U.S. was unwilling to compromise.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, the potential for a new deal raised the concerns of many Israeli security officials, who argue that the deal would pave the way for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
ISRAEL SPY CHIEF REPORTEDLY SLAMS IRAN DEAL AS ‘STRATEGIC DISASTER’
President Biden. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
"The deal will unleash a regional nuclear arms race, in which states like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states will seek to either develop or acquire nuclear weapons to mitigate the Iranian threat," the letter to Biden reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The letter notes that the new deal would unfreeze funds currently unavailable to Iran, pointing out that the country has previously used such a windfall to "export terror and instability throughout the region and beyond, at an unprecedented scale, with the addition of a future nuclear umbrella as a force multiplier."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
"It remains our view that a credible military threat in combination with crippling economic sanctions and the political resolve to act militarily, if necessary, is the most effective manner to address the Iranian threat," the letter reads.
Biden has made rekindling the Obama-era nuclear deal a cornerstone of his policy on Iran after former President Trump abandoned the deal in favor of a "maximum pressure" campaign against the country.
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Former President Trump. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Critics, however, have argued that the deal would do nothing to prevent Iran from eventually obtaining nuclear weapons, instead only delaying what the deal would make inevitable.
The letter addresses Biden as "a lifelong true friend of the Jewish People and the State of Israel," urging him "not to jeopardize Israel's security by enabling Iran to achieve nuclear military capabilities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.