EU Calls Iran Threat ‘Totally Unacceptable’

The European Union has condemned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s calling Israel “a cancerous tumor.”

“President Rouhani’s remarks bringing into question Israel’s legitimacy are totally unacceptable. They are also incompatible with the need to address international disputes through dialogue and international law,” a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Sunday.

“The European Union reiterates its fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, including with regard to current and emerging threats in the region.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister Gilad Erdan gave the keynote speech at Frankfurt’s Deutscher Israelkongress, Europe’s largest pro-Israel conference, in which he urged a tougher stance against Iran.

“Germany should take a more aggressive stance against the Iranian regime … It was only yesterday that President Rouhani called Israel metastatic cancer. History has taught us that anti-Semitic threats from fanatical leaders and exporters of terror who have hegemonic aspirations must be taken seriously.”

Erdan declared that “forcing a change in Iran’s behavior is necessary for the safety of the people of Israel, of the people of Iran, and of the people of Europe.”

Minister Erdan also said that as long as the Iranian government uses rhetoric like “Death to Israel” and inscribes it on its ballistic missiles, and Hezbollah continues to arm itself and threaten Israel with tens of thousands of missiles, Israel will do all that is necessary to protect itself.