prime minister of israel Naftali Bennett said on monday Iran had violated all “red lines” aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons program, but that Israel would “not allow” Tehran to receive the bomb.
In his first address to the UN General Assembly, Bennett claimed that the Islamic Republic had taken “a huge leap” in recent years in its nuclear production capacity and ability to enrich weapons-grade uranium.
“Iran’s nuclear weapons program is at a critical point, with all the red lines crossed,” said Bennett, who took office in June.
“There are people in the world who see Iran’s discovery of nuclear weapons as an inevitable reality, or they are tired of hearing about it,” the 49-year-old prime minister told the world body.
“Israel doesn’t have that privilege. We can’t get tired. We won’t get tired. Israel won’t allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Iran reacted swiftly, saying that Bennett “played the victim and desperately tried to portray the Israeli regime as innocent.”
Israel “makes a desperate attempt to portray Iran’s conventional weapons capabilities, or its particularly peaceful nuclear program, as a challenge to regional stability, which is under the strongest verification of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Iran’s statement said. Pemon Ghadirkhomy, the second secretary of the United Nations mission, told the gathering.
“It is a hypocritical move by this regime to divert attention from the real threat to regional peace and security, in particular its nuclear weapons arsenal and covert and unsecured nuclear installations and activities.”
Ghadirkhomi also slammed Israel for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, as well as “obstacles” to its activities in the Palestinian territories.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, said on Friday that it expects to resume talks soon on reviving the historic 2015 deal that rolled back its program in exchange for sanctions relief. .
The agreement began to break down in 2018 when the US withdrew from it and reinstated sanctions. In return, Iran again began to intensify its nuclear activities.
Bennett’s predecessor Benjamin netanyahu, who was in power from 2009 to June, was among the world’s fiercest critics of the agreement, regularly denouncing it in international forums and praising former US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw.
Bennett, a foreign policy hawk who leads Israel’s ideologically different, eight-party coalition government, also opposes the Iran nuclear deal, but did not mention it in his UN address.
In a rare interview with a foreign media outlet, Israeli Defense Minister Beniyu Gantzo told Foreign Policy magazine this month that the Jewish state was not resisting US efforts to renegotiate a negotiated deal with Iran.
“The current American approach to putting the Iran nuclear program back in a box, I accept it,” was perceived by some Israeli experts as a policy change, Gantz told the magazine.
But Gantz made clear that Israel would expect a “viable US-led Plan B” if the talks fail.
Bennett has not publicly expressed openness to a revived Iran deal, but has criticized Netanyahu for what he called a “gap” between the former leader’s rhetoric on Iran and reality.
He told the United Nations that Iran had “enriched uranium to levels of 60 percent, which is a step less than weapons-grade material – and they are getting away with it.”
The United States and the European Union on Monday also urged Iran to allow inspectors access to a nuclear site, while Tehran argued that the facility was exempted from a recent agreement with a UN watchdog.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been denied “mandatory” access to TESA. Karaju Centrifuge component manufacturing workshop near Tehran, in contrast to the September 12 agreement with Iran.
Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA, kazem garibabadirejected the allegation, saying the IAEA’s statement “is not accurate and is beyond the agreed terms”.
In his first address to the UN General Assembly, Bennett claimed that the Islamic Republic had taken “a huge leap” in recent years in its nuclear production capacity and ability to enrich weapons-grade uranium.
“Iran’s nuclear weapons program is at a critical point, with all the red lines crossed,” said Bennett, who took office in June.
“There are people in the world who see Iran’s discovery of nuclear weapons as an inevitable reality, or they are tired of hearing about it,” the 49-year-old prime minister told the world body.
“Israel doesn’t have that privilege. We can’t get tired. We won’t get tired. Israel won’t allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Iran reacted swiftly, saying that Bennett “played the victim and desperately tried to portray the Israeli regime as innocent.”
Israel “makes a desperate attempt to portray Iran’s conventional weapons capabilities, or its particularly peaceful nuclear program, as a challenge to regional stability, which is under the strongest verification of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Iran’s statement said. Pemon Ghadirkhomy, the second secretary of the United Nations mission, told the gathering.
“It is a hypocritical move by this regime to divert attention from the real threat to regional peace and security, in particular its nuclear weapons arsenal and covert and unsecured nuclear installations and activities.”
Ghadirkhomi also slammed Israel for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, as well as “obstacles” to its activities in the Palestinian territories.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, said on Friday that it expects to resume talks soon on reviving the historic 2015 deal that rolled back its program in exchange for sanctions relief. .
The agreement began to break down in 2018 when the US withdrew from it and reinstated sanctions. In return, Iran again began to intensify its nuclear activities.
Bennett’s predecessor Benjamin netanyahu, who was in power from 2009 to June, was among the world’s fiercest critics of the agreement, regularly denouncing it in international forums and praising former US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw.
Bennett, a foreign policy hawk who leads Israel’s ideologically different, eight-party coalition government, also opposes the Iran nuclear deal, but did not mention it in his UN address.
In a rare interview with a foreign media outlet, Israeli Defense Minister Beniyu Gantzo told Foreign Policy magazine this month that the Jewish state was not resisting US efforts to renegotiate a negotiated deal with Iran.
“The current American approach to putting the Iran nuclear program back in a box, I accept it,” was perceived by some Israeli experts as a policy change, Gantz told the magazine.
But Gantz made clear that Israel would expect a “viable US-led Plan B” if the talks fail.
Bennett has not publicly expressed openness to a revived Iran deal, but has criticized Netanyahu for what he called a “gap” between the former leader’s rhetoric on Iran and reality.
He told the United Nations that Iran had “enriched uranium to levels of 60 percent, which is a step less than weapons-grade material – and they are getting away with it.”
The United States and the European Union on Monday also urged Iran to allow inspectors access to a nuclear site, while Tehran argued that the facility was exempted from a recent agreement with a UN watchdog.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been denied “mandatory” access to TESA. Karaju Centrifuge component manufacturing workshop near Tehran, in contrast to the September 12 agreement with Iran.
Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA, kazem garibabadirejected the allegation, saying the IAEA’s statement “is not accurate and is beyond the agreed terms”.
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