Israel’s Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram warned that any agreement allowing massive funds to flow into Iran would dramatically accelerate the military buildup of the IRGC and its regional terror network.
Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Baram said the war has made clear to every regional actor the price of Iran’s military buildup. He called for a broader strategic alliance stretching from India through the UAE to Greece and Cyprus, built on shared security and economic interests.
Baram also addressed the US-Israel relationship, saying Israel must understand that Washington sees Iran differently. For Israel, Iran is an existential threat. For the US, he said, Iran is a chronic regional challenge, while China and the Indo-Pacific remain the central strategic focus.
He said the next US-Israel security memorandum must be based not only on shared values, but on hard interests: a strong, independent and proactive Israel that helps stabilize the Middle East and allows the US to focus more resources on Asia.