Former Mossad Director Efraim Halevy slammed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's recent criticism of President Barack Obama's work to stop Iran. According to The Times of Israel:
Efraim Halevy, the former head of the Mossad, has launched a blistering attack on Mitt Romney, accusing the would-be Republican presidential candidate of playing with Israel's destiny, 'playing with our lives,' through 'highly irresponsible' comments on tackling Iran's nuclear drive.
He said Romney's comments in a recent Washington Post oped - in which the former governor of Massachusetts criticized President Barack Obama's handling of the Iran crisis and vowed that he would take a much tougher stance if elected - amounted to 'a provocative invitation to the Iranians to do their very best (to attain nuclear weapons) until Mitt Romney gets into power.'
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Halevy, who also served as Israel's national security adviser and held several ambassadorial positions, made plain his shared determination to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, but said Romney's approach as set out in the oped was 'disastrous.'...
'If I were an Iranian,' Halevy went on, 'I would first of all say to myself, "If I'm to take (Romney) seriously, the first thing I must do is go full speed ahead to get a nuclear device before the fourth of November. Number one priority. By hook or by crook."'
Said Halevy: 'President Obama called this loose talk. It's much worse than loose talk. This is highly irresponsible talk. He's playing with our destiny. He's playing with our lives.'
Traditionally, Halevy noted, 'foreign policy in these matters has been the prerogative of a president. And to introduce this into the equation in order to get a vote or two in Florida, or a vote or two in New York City. In order to get to the White House...!'
'To tell the Iranians, "Look, friends, when I get in it's going to be a new ball game," this is a provocative invitation to the Iranians to do their very best (to attain nuclear weapons) until Mitt Romney gets into power.'
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