Former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski criticized the Republicans for merely expressing their opposition and failing to offer an alternative to the initial nuclear agreement clinched between Iran and the major powers last week, which he described as "good".
The two sides achieved a landmark understanding on Thursday on the framework of a comprehensive nuclear deal, set to be finalized by an end-of-June deadline, aiming to find a settlement to the 12-year dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
"Let's have a reasonable sense of what's at stake, and if you want to criticize it, offer an alternative. I don't see the Republicans offering up a better alternative, do you? Is there an alternative; are you aware of any serious alternative that has come forth from the Republicans?" Brzezinski told MSNBC on Friday.
"It's very easy to attack this because this agreement is truly complex and has to confront a lot of uncertainties. But please spell out an alternative arrangement," he said, adding, "The Republicans have not been willing to say it explicitly, but implicit in their statements is the notion that, together with the Israelis, we are going to blow Iran out of the water."
Elsewhere, He expressed pleasure with the achieved agreement, saying, "If it works, it is a very good deal. I think it increases security and stability in the region."
The former US official stressed the necessity that both the United States and Iran hold up their end of the deal in order for their efforts to reach a final agreement produce results.
"Both parties still have to make the decisive commitment to going all of the way."
Asked to comment about the military alternative, favored by some Republicans, and US public opinion in this regard, Brzezinski said, "I think that is a policy of self-destruction, and lashing out is never a very smart response to complex problems," adding, "I think the public instinctively feels that. That is why public opinion polls that I've read recently indicate that the majority of the American people do not want a military showdown with Iran."
Netanyahu's Demagogic Attacks
Commenting on Israel's opposing stance toward the deal, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position is not shared by some other top Israeli officials, which is reflective of a rift within the administration.
"I'm not sure that what Mr. Netanyahu says is really Israel's position. I have been reading a lot of statements by former highly placed Israeli officials in the security field, ranging from the military to intelligence and so forth, and my sense is that the Israelis are engaged in a serious discussion, and the kind of demagogic attacks that have come from the prime minister are not constructive."
Brzezinski expressed his strong disapproval of Netanyahu's moves to oppose and affect President Barak Obama's position on Iran's nuclear issue, describing his attempts as "bad politics" and "bad strategy".
"I think, moreover, Mr. Netanyahu has really discredited himself by his public attacks on the position of the president of a country that has been the strongest supporter of Israel over the last several decades. I think it's in a bad taste, it's in bad form, it's bad politics, and it's bad strategy."
