Envoy to Israel Huckabee Says Deal Can Be Reached If Iran Gives Up Ambitions of ‘Nuclear Weaponry’

JERUSALEM, Israel—Iran could see a breakthrough in its nuclear nonproliferation negotiations with the United States, but “it’s up to them,” according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.  

Iran has “never ever been anything but clear in that their goal is the annihilation of Israel, and ultimately the annihilation of every free-thinking, free-living person on the planet,” Huckabee told The Daily Signal following remarks at the Jewish News Syndicate International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Monday.

Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, has now met with Iranian leaders three time in a series of talks over Iran’s nuclear program. A fourth round of talks is slated for Saturday.  

The U.S. can reach a favorable agreement with Iran if Tehran agrees to “lay down any ambitions whatsoever for nuclear weaponry,” Huckabee said.  

For 46 years, Huckabee noted, Iran has shouted, “Death to Israel and death to America!” 

“It’s never changed, and they made it very clear that Israel is the appetizer and the United States is the entrée,” the ambassador said.  

While Huckabee said he hopes Iran changes the course it has long taken, “the president has been as clear as any political figure in history in saying that if they don’t, there will be no holding back. And those are his words. Those are his policies.”  

When recently asked if he was concerned about whether Israel would “drag” the U.S. into war with Iran, President Donald Trump said, “No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.”  

Huckabee stressed that his remarks reflect the president’s position on the talks with Iran, explaining, Trump is “the chemist. I am just the pharmacist.”  

Speaking from the main stage of the summit earlier in the evening, Huckabee said Israel’s fight against those such as Hamas seeking to destroy it, is “not a geopolitical struggle, the Left versus the Right, the liberal versus the conservative. This is a vertical battle between heaven and hell, between good and evil, between light and darkness.”  

Trump tapped Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, to be ambassador to Israel just days after winning the election in November. A longtime supporter of Israel, Huckabee has been taking trips to the small Middle Eastern country for more than 50 years.  

With a smile on his face, the ambassador told the crowd of several hundred that had Trump called him for any other position in his administration, he would have politely declined.  

“And I will absolutely tell you that every day of the week and twice on Sunday, I would much rather live in Jerusalem than in Washington, D.C.,” Huckabee said as the crowd laughed and applauded.  

Huckabee took a significant portion of his 15-minute presentation to discuss the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel and the hostages that have been freed, and those who still remain captive. There are 59 hostages still in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be still alive, including Israeli American Edan Alexander.  

“One of the reasons that I am so grateful to God to be here,” Huckabee said, “is to make sure that not just here in Israel, but across the world, people understand that the United States of America and President Trump stands for good and not evil, and that’s why he has made it very clear that Hamas has no future in Gaza or anywhere else in the world.”  

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