Defense Minister Ehud Barak said
Monday that Israel cannot afford to be duped by Iranian tricks and that he had
little confidence that negotiations between Iran and world powers would succeed
in convincing Iran to give up trying to produce nuclear weapons, at a meeting of
the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem.
Even though Barak recognized
that international sanctions imposed on Iran to date were having an impact on
Iran's behavior, he was not hopeful about the ultimate outcome of
talks.
"Today sanctions are stronger than ever. They've forced the
Iranians to take note, to sit down and to talk," he told the assembled
journalists.
However, despite any tactical progress, Barak said that he
was not filled "with confidence. I may sound pessimistic but the state of Israel
cannot afford to be duped."
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