Demonstrations currently causing unrest in Iran prove that international economic pressure against the Islamic Republic is working, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
The U.S. decision to withdraw from the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose sanctions is causing "economic upheaval" and undermining public support for the government, the prime minister told an audience at the Israeli Air Force's pilot training graduation ceremony in southern Israel.
"Not only has the reimposition of sanctions not united the Iranian public around the regime, the complete opposite is happening," he said. "Many in Iran understand that the regime of the ayatollahs is wasting precious resources on foreign military subversion instead of investing in civilian needs at home."
The prime minister has been an outspoken opponent of the nuclear deal and welcomed the U.S. withdrawal in May.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu spoke directly to the Iranian people in a video recording, hailing their "courage in the streets of Iran."
"Can you imagine what would happen if the Iranian government, instead of wasting your money on Syria and Yemen and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, would start investing it in solving these problems in Iran?" he asked.
