In the aftermath of this week’s agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries, we must ask one simple, yet important question: Is the world a safer or more dangerous place?

For Israelis, who unlike those in North America do not have the luxury of being a 14-hour flight away from Iran, the answer is crystal clear. Even though we are a population known for our predilection to disagree with one another, there is a reason why Israelis of all political stripes stand united in their opposition to the agreement. 

We live directly under the shadow of Iran’s vast ballistic missile arsenal. On our northern borders, Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, has over 100,000 rockets and missiles aimed at our cities and communities. In our neighbourhood, from Gaza to Lebanon, Iraq to Libya and Syria to Yemen, we see Iranian forces taking root in failed Arab states and supporting ruthless tyrants, such as Syria’s Basher Assad, who have no qualms about killing their own citizens.

We are also the national homeland of the Jewish People and a product of our long history of persecution. Perhaps more than any other people, Jews intimately appreciate the link between rhetoric and action. Therefore, when the mullahs, generals and mobs in Tehran call for our destruction, we do not take this as mere “posturing.” 

In addition, Iran’s position as the number one exporter of terrorism is not just a slogan for Israelis. Even though others have been targeted, including Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, our citizens and officials have borne the brunt of this terror campaign from South America to Europe and Africa to Asia. We know that Iran does not distinguish between Israelis and Jews. In 1994, two years after Iranian agents and Hezbollah attacked Israel’s embassy in Buenos Aires, these perpetrators bombed a Jewish community centre in the same city. 

For Iran, Israel is viewed as a “one-bomb state,” a term coined by former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani. We are a small country, just two-thirds the size of Vancouver Island, with no strategic depth and almost half of our population living in the central core. 

We can therefore be excused if we have cause for concern when we see an agreement that leaves Iran with enough enriched uranium and the capabilities to build and deliver at least one bomb, if not more.

This week’s agreement, does not just make the world less safe for Israelis but also for anyone opposed to the ideology of the Iranian Revolution. This is why we saw leaders of Sunni Arab states, American congressman and intellectuals from around the world all rallying against this bad deal. We also saw Canada continue to show courage on the international stage by vocally raising caution over the deal and stating that it will judge Iran on its deeds, not its words. 

In Israel and beyond, opponents of this deal are not against diplomacy, but prefer a better agreement that would make the world a safer place. The key problem with this agreement is that the international community has removed the sanctions that have helped curtail Iran’s hegemony, yet left Iran with its nuclear program intact.

First, the agreement opens up a Pandora’s box by allowing a wealthier, reinvigorated Iranian regime to spread its wings. The $150 billion that will almost immediately be injected into Iran’s coffers will no doubt go to maintain the regime’s oppression of its people, who face daily human rights abuses, and fuel its support for terrorism around the world and subversion in the region. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has already boasted that a “rich and strong Iran will be able to stand by its allies and friends in the region more than any time in the past.” Although supporters of the agreement argue that Iran’s behaviour was not up for negotiation, the decision to loosen the sanctions will lead to unexpected consequences that have caused many players – not just Israel – to sound the alarm. 

Second, the agreement leaves Iran with its nuclear infrastructure and actually paves the way to an Iranian bomb. As we saw with North Korea, an agreement can be cover for a rogue nation to advance its nuclear weapons program. However, even if the Iranian regime goes against its track record of deception and complies for some time, there are a number of loopholes that allow Iran to maintain its breakout potential. For example, the agreement enables Iran to continue to enrich uranium, continue to advance its R&D capabilities – especially around centrifuges – and continue to work on the weaponization of atomic bombs. Over time, Iran will get even more goodies as arms embargoes are lifted, including restrictions over ballistic missiles. 

All of this is in the context of the agreement’s sunset clause that acts as a ticking time bomb. When these limitations end in 10 years, Iran will be able to increase its overall enrichment capacity in a short time span and will have the necessary infrastructure to support a nuclear weapons program. As a result, a region that is already marked by great violence and instability may soon become even more deadly and unpredictable. 

Nuclear capabilities in the hands of Iran are a game changer and may spark a nuclear arms race that will not only threaten the Middle East, but also undermine global peace and security.  

Rafael Barak is Ambassador of Israel to Canada.