The Cost of a Nuclear Iran and How Decades of American Diplomacy Backfired: Yoram Ettinger

American Thought Leaders

The Epoch Times

Government, News, Politics

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

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Summary

“More and more Iranian-supported, anti-American, Islamic terrorist cells are established on U.S. soil with the aim of eliminating key American personnel, and eliminating key American institutions and installations. This has been the ayatollah’s vision from day one,” says former Ambassador Yoram Ettinger.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Ettinger held a number of high-profile positions within Israel’s government, from minister of congressional affairs in D.C. to director of its press office. A now retired insider and expert on U.S.–Israel relations, he regularly advises Israel and America’s legislators, and produces a weekly newsletter challenging conventional wisdom on Middle East affairs.

“The State Department probably still is under the delusion that the U.S. has a choice between Arab countries that abide by human rights and Arab countries that do not abide by human rights,” says Ettinger. “The choice is between pro-American Arab regimes that violate human rights or anti-American Arab regimes that violate human rights.”

In this episode, we dive into key realities of the U.S.–Israel relationship that are poorly understood, and the global threat posed by the Iranian regime.

“The early pilgrims and the Founding Fathers, to a large extent, viewed themselves as the modern-day chosen people. They viewed this country as the modern-day Promised Land, and they considered the manner in which Moses governed the Jewish people to be the foundation for the system which they established: the separation of powers, and later on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” says Ettinger.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Transcript

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0:00.0	More and more Iranian-supported anti-American Islamic terrorist cells are established on U.S. soil with the aim of eliminating key American personnel and institutions and installations.
0:19.1	This has been the Ayatollah's vision from day one.
0:24.6	In the 1980s and 1990s, Ambassador Yuram Ettinger held a number of high-profile positions
0:30.6	within Israel's government, from its Minister of Congressional Affairs in D.C.
0:35.6	to director of its press office. A now retired insider and expert on U.S.-Israel relations,
0:41.3	he regularly advises Israel and America's legislators
0:45.3	and produces a weekly newsletter challenging conventional wisdom on Middle East Affairs.
0:50.3	The State Department still is under the delusion
0:53.3	that the U.S. is a choice between Arab countries that abide by human rights and Arab countries that do not abide by human rights.
1:04.7	The choices between pro-American Arab regimes that violate human rights or anti-American Arab regimes that violate human
1:15.3	rights.
1:16.6	In this episode, we dive into key realities of the U.S.-Israel relationship that are poorly
1:21.0	understood and the threat to both countries and free nations more broadly posed by the Iranian
1:26.6	regime. This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Yankee Kelley.
1:30.3	You're a Mettinger.
1:33.3	Such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.
1:35.3	Thank you. It's my pleasure. Thank you.
1:38.3	I often hear the Israeli-U.S. relationship as characterized by Israel having this inordinate influence over
1:49.3	American decision-making. And so how do you view the U.S.-Israel relationship?
1:55.3	Well, U.S.-Israel relations has two sets of foundations.
2:03.1	The first one has to do with the U.S. culture, U.S. political system, which are based largely
2:12.6	on biblical values and biblical legacies. Mostly what the founding fathers referred to as the mosaic
	...

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