World not giving Iran nuclear 'red line': Israel PM

Israel PM says Iran doesn't see determination from the international community to stop its nuclear programme.


Afp September 03, 2012
World not giving Iran nuclear 'red line': Israel PM

JERUSALEM: Israel's prime minister has accused the international community of failing to draw a "clear red line" for Iran over its nuclear programme, after a UN report found Tehran had doubled its capacity at a nuclear site.

"I think that we should speak the truth -- the international community is not drawing a clear red line for Iran," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

"Iran doesn't see determination from the international community to stop its nuclear programme," he added.

"Until Iran sees this clear red line and this determination, it won't stoing its nuclear programme. Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear arms."

The comments are Netanyahu's first since the details of a new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emerged on Thursday.

The report said that Iran has doubled its uranium enrichment capacity at the underground Fordo facility, in spite of UN Security Council resolutions, sanctions and talk of Israeli military action.

The UN nuclear watchdog also said that its ability to inspect the Parchin military base where it suspects Iran conducted nuclear weapons research in the past had been "significantly hampered" by a suspected clean-up.

The report showed that Iran now has around 2,000 uranium-enrichment centrifuges installed, compared with around 1,000 in May, at the Fordo facility.

Enriched uranium can be used for peaceful purposes but in highly concentrated levels of purity it can also be used for nuclear weapons, and multiple UN Security Council resolutions have called on Iran to suspend enrichment.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, insisted there was "absolutely no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the necessity of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

US President Barack Obama "has been engaged in a policy that has put enormous pressure on the regime in Tehran, isolated it and sanctioned it to a degree that is unprecedented," he added.

Carney alsp reiterated that the "window" for solving the nuclear standoff through diplomacy remained open but warned that it would not remain open indefinitely."

However Netanyahu said that the IAEA report confirmed what he had bee saying for a long time: "The international sanctions may be weighing heavily on Iran's economy but are not hindering the advancement of Iran's nuclear programme."

He added that Tehran was using talks with world powers "to buy time" to advance their nuclear programme."

Iran has held several rounds of talks with the P5+1 group of world powers comprising Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, but the negotiations have so far led nowhere, with a fresh round due "in the the coming days," EU officials said last week.

Israel, the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear power, has led the international charge to pressure Tehran to halt its nuclear programme.

The Jewish state and much of the international community believe Iran's nuclear activities mask a weapons programme, a charge Tehran denies.

Israel has said it considers Iranian nuclear weapons an existential threat and has consistently warned it retains all options, including military action, to prevent Iran from obtaining such arms.

COMMENTS (13)

M.Ahmer Ali | 12 years ago | Reply

What's wrong with Israel???? Iran has the full rights to make nukes to protect its territory,sovereignty,nation and national interests like the other advanced Western countries and who are Israel and USA to refrain/restrain Iran from doing so?????? And if they do so then first eradicate/remove their nukes then put pressure on Iran to do so.... Because this is harsh and bitter reality that first do yourself then expect from the others.This is Israel's and US' biggest and greatest dilemma and tragedy that they put pressure on the other countries to do that what they never want to do or they never cerebrate about to do.....

Naeem Yousafzai | 12 years ago | Reply

The Israel, the state of Sin have more then 200 atomic bombs and they are ready to make another big sin like they made before (First World War and Second World War). Israel the criminal baby of USA, the most hated nation in the universe want to captured all the regime of the Muslims like, Iraq, Iran and all other states which have oil or other resources to implement their New World Order. They only resistant they can find is Pakistan a nuclear Islamic country; for which they have been launched a cold war to divide it, a massive terrorism movements is sponsored by Israel, USA and India to remove the first resistant in their planing. Therefore they are declaring Pakistan is their enemy no.1 from the very beginning. Iran is now a raising nuclear power and they want to stop him in this stage, while Iran have developed a nuclear weapons. Israel don't have confirmation and they are in doubt that either Iran have the nuclear weapons or not. They can't attack on Iran because if Iran have the nuclear weapons they will must hit the target and thus the the state of sin will reached to his destiny which they deserve.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ