Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on Monday for taking advantage of the current unrest in Iran to put serious pressure on the government for a new and improved nuclear agreement, Israeli media reported.
Gantz made his comment at the opening of the annual Jewish Media Summit organized by the Israeli Government Press Office, attended by more than 100 Jewish journalists from all over the world.
The ‘Begin Doctrine’: World Must Force #Israel to Dismantle Its Nuclear Arsenal https://t.co/jPZmea9WdC via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/2T1xqX4HyM
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) December 19, 2022
“Iran is, first of all, a global and regional challenge, and only then a threat to Israel,” said the former chief of staff.
“Just as NATO acts in a coordinated manner when it comes to Ukraine, we must push our partners in the international community to deal with Iran in a coordinated manner before it brings itself to act with nuclear power.”
Tel Aviv as well as regional and Western capitals, led by Washington, accuse Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran insists that its nuclear program is designed for civilian purposes, particularly electricity generation.
The Isreali minister warned against Iran crossing the point of no return on the nuclear level.
“Time is of the essence and Iran is suffering from internal problems, economic difficulties and a severe backlash for its military support for Russia during the crisis in Ukraine,” he said, adding:
“Putting pressure on Iran now of all times to join a better nuclear agreement would stop its nuclear progress, but if efforts fail, this is the time to show and exercise force.”
Tehran announced on December 5 that it would not accept the resumption of negotiations to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal under pressure and threats, and would not make concessions.
(MEMO, PC, SOCIAL)
