Iran did not take US President Donald Trump’s warning against enriching uranium seriously until the US took direct military action against the Islamic Republic, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said at an interview at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Trump has repeatedly said that "Iran will never enrich uranium, and will not have nuclear weapons," Huckabee noted. "He said this before the war, never changed that message after the war, and continued to say it. I do not know if Iran ever took him seriously until the night the B-2 bombers went to Fordow."
Huckabee’s comments came in response to a question on US policy pertaining to Israel as the Jewish state determines if further military action is necessary to mitigate risks posed by Iran, which appears to be rebuilding its nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile capabilities.
The question also addressed whether the US would support Israeli actions and under what circumstances Washington might consider direct intervention.
"It is hard for me to tell you what the US would do [about the Iranian threat] because this is a policy decision that will be made at the White House, not at the ambassador level in Israel," Huckabee said.
"Apparently, the [Islamic Republic] did not get the full message, because they appear to be trying to re-constitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper – secure it more," the envoy continued.
Huckabee: 'Iran's nuclear program poses a threat to Europe as well as Israel, US'
"It presents a threat, but not just to Israel, not just to the US. This presents a real threat to all of Europe," Huckabee warned.
"If the Europeans do not understand this [threat], then they are even dumber than I sometimes think they are," he expanded, noting his lack of diplomatic language.
Huckabee also said that he was pleased to see European countries reimpose "some snapback provisions" on Iran, which was "very important" in order to help "choke off some of Iran’s ability to do what they are trying to do."
"I think the president made it clear this is not just about Israel – this is about the US," Huckabee said, referring to the threats emanating from Iran, and the Trump administration’s policies to mitigate the dangers it poses.
"Iran has threatened America for 46 consecutive years. From 1979, when the ayatollahs took power, they have always said ‘death to Israel, death to America,’ in the same sentence – this was never a separation," he went on to say.
"Israel is only the appetizer because [it is] closer and [it is] an easier target than the vast geographical expanse that represents the US," Huckabee noted. "But they have never hidden the fact that the real entrée – their ultimate goal – is to destroy the US."
"If you want to destroy Western civilization, move the world back to the seventh century, and take us back to a place that, thank God, does not exist anymore, then you cannot do it without taking the US down," he said.