“All diplomatic efforts until now were not successful,” Sa’ar said in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters network, of which POLITICO is a member. “They usually use these talks in order to deceive, in order to waste time.”
When asked what Iran must do for a negotiated solution to the conflict, he responded: “We are not dealing with negotiations with Iran” and reiterated Trump’s call for “unconditional surrender.”
Sa’ar said the Europeans did not invite him to the Geneva meeting, but he spoke with the French foreign minister about it, and may speak with the German foreign minister later Friday.
While Israel has destroyed several Iranian nuclear facilities over the past week, it may need American assistance to wipe out an Iranian nuclear enrichment site at Fordo, which is buried deep underground.
Sa’ar reiterated multiple times that “America will take its own decisions” with regard to Iran. He also said that Israeli strikes had already achieved significant progress in destroying the Iranian nuclear program — and “delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb,” he added.
When asked how long the Israeli operation will last and whether there is a limit, Sa’ar said, “We will take actions until we fully complete the job.”