TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized growing Israeli influence over US policy toward Iran, pointing to an opinion article in Israel Hayom that calls for deeper US-Israeli integration so that Washington would face high costs if Israel were subjected to financial pressure.
Araghchi made the remarks in a post on X while reposting an excerpt from the article, “Israel must prepare for the possibility of financial warfare,” published by Israel Hayom on September 9.
“The Israel lobby is getting less shy about its grip on U.S. policy toward Iran,” Araghchi wrote. “In Miriam Adelson’s publication, the Lobby’s loudspeaker says U.S. policy must ensure America pays a price for any slight against Israel.”
“High time for Washington to break free from these shackles,” he added.
The article, written by Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), argues that Israel should prepare for the possibility that financial pressure and sanctions mechanisms developed by Washington against Iran could eventually be directed against Israel.
Dubowitz argues that the financial sanctions architecture used against Iran could provide a model for pressure on Israel, saying that the process can begin with legal measures, expand to individuals and companies, and eventually reach wider sectors and financial institutions.
Against that backdrop, the article calls on Tel Aviv to diversify its economic relationships and reduce its exposure to potential financial pressure.
The section highlighted by Araghchi goes further, arguing that Israel and the United States should deepen their military, technological, intelligence and economic integration to such an extent that imposing financial harm on Israel would also impose a significant cost on Washington.
The article also argues that Israel should expand ties with additional markets and strengthen its alliances in order to reduce vulnerabilities to potential financial pressure.
For Araghchi, however, the passage represents evidence of the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on US policy toward Iran. By describing Israel Hayom as “Miriam Adelson’s publication” and “the Lobby’s loudspeaker,” the Iranian foreign minister presented the article as an example of an effort to shape Washington’s approach to Israel and Iran.
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