Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Silvan Shalom told Arutz Sheva Tuesday that the world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear weapons program were motivated to strike a deal because of a will to bring down oil prices. Both sides to the negotiations had financial considerations on their mind, he said. The P5+1 powers were concerned about their own economies, because sanctions of trade with Iran caused a dramatic rise in oil prices. This created "massive pressure" on western politicians to strike a deal "at any price," he explained.' Iran, too, was under severe pressure because of western sanctions, with its currency becoming extremely weak and unemployment at 30%. "The economic interest is what led to the deal, and security was cast aside," Shalom said. He explained that once Iran obtains nuclear weapons, the region will embark on an arms race, and states like Egypt and Turkey will step up efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. People will be afraid to live in Israel, and investors will be afraid to put their money in its economy, he said. "Even without firing a single shot, or a single missile, we will sink, socially and economically."
