"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)
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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.....
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.
hey allah daad i did thought about that... but wars do twists and turn things around... think of it think when they defeat USA.. they will become sort of world power.. china wouldnt care much with US market... they smuggle a lot of stuff in india besides legal buisness... i am sure u know it very well.. and u very well know the population of india.. and right now i am only talking about india... the entire europe is still there,,..:)
@Kumail: I was referring to the social constraints women face in Iran and recently they have been debarred from some 70 courses or degree colleges. This was in news.
@Manoj Joshi, Navi Mumbai, India:
I agree with most of what you had to say except that Iran is not undemocratic. Mr. Manoj ever since the Islamic revolution Iran has frequently carried out free and fair elections which were not such a luxury when the westernized pahalvi's were in power. Even the west couldn't deny democracy in Iran for the first 4 elections however it became only controversial when President Ahmadinejad won re-election. Even that's not proven, the election results clearly stated that Ahmadinejad lost in Tehran where the heart of the protests were, however won heavily in the provinces where he garners support due to his developmental projects for those regions.
Another issue that clouds Islamic Iran's democracy is the disqualification of candidates. However these were done to look into the credibility of a candidate e.g. was he/she a terrorist, smuggler, anti-state actor, MKQ terrorist, criminal etc, in order to defend the best interests of the country. Even in Europe and the United States the election commision looks into the integrity of the candidate to see if he/she is capable of running for the big job, have you ever seen a nazi supporter appear as a main contender?.
My friend you also mentioned the status of women in iran with respect to freedom. Did you know that 60% of Irans science and engineering students are female, I study engineering at the university of sydney and only 10% female study that here.About 30 women in Irans parliament, women work as firefighters, policewomen, even top positions in the revolutionary guard. Hopefully the Ayatollahs will also realise that the Islamic faith dosen't enforce a particlualr dress-code although it does recommend one.
Muslim community is hopeless divided. Isreal and Saudi Arabia both do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons. Most of the Muslim Community view Iran as outsiders because of its Shia charaters and hence Iran does not get any support from Muslim Countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan etc
Iran has problems but those problems are more in other Muslim countries but US/West never critizises other Muslim countries. What is going on is pure politics. There is several indications that Pakistan is expanding its Nuclear stockpile as proxy for Saudi Arabia. The day Iran goes Nuclear, Saudi will follow suit immediately with help of Pakistan. So the reality is Israel, Pakistan Saudi Arabia, US are all in the same side against Iran.
Having said these, An an Indian I do not want middle east to get any more nuclearised than present. Hopefully Iran will learn there are far more effective way of fighting to be independent than nuclear path.
@ darshan chandekar, You think that Chinese would defeat U.S.A, to destroy their own economy. Perhaps you don't know that Chinese economy and prosperity depends upon USA and other Western markets. Also from where China would recover trillions of dollars it has given to USA in shape of loans? Except moral support, no other support Iran would get in war against West. It sounds not nice but its true.
UN is working as obedient servant of US and Israel, why?. They always generate fake reports to achieve their ill goals like they did in Iraq. Till date no any mass destruction weapon is found in Iraq,while US invaded there and killed around one million Muslims. It is very clear that no any un-biased person support this theory except the Yahudi's / Salafi (Wahabies), because they are actual enemy of Islam & humanity. No one is condemning Israel having several nuclear weapons, but is asking Iran who always support for nuclear free Gulf. Peoples power is more than nuclear as we all seen in Russia. I'm not a biased man but request to all to save humanity and oppose the terrorist/killers and those who are doing unrest on earth.
The basic problem begins with the issues related to India and Pakistan. First of all a fact that must be accepted by the citizens of India and Pakistan is that they need to learn to co-exist and not confront. The confrontation between India and Pakistan has been a boon for the hawks within the two countries and the war mongers across the globe to en cash this situation and make their ends meet. The arms lobby has benefited the maximum. Hence, Indo-Pak Friendship is a must which needs to be promoted. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not been listening to the dictates of The United States of America since the abdication of the Shah of Iran hence, right from the hostage crisis US-Iranian relations have not been very cordial. The US wants their hold over this Islamic Republic that is Iran and enjoy the oil wells of that nation.
Mr. Joshi: Thanks for your comments. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a democracy nor is it Secular and that is a fact that must be accepted and hence they should liberalise and turn more moderate and work towards a democracy. Also, women in Iran should be given more freedom with regard to education and jobs" If you said this in Iran, your head will be handed to you on a platter. When Muslims invaded Iran(Persia), extremely well civilized persians fled Iran and came to India, and lived here freely as Parsi's. Iranians are not arabs and as civilized as they are they deserve democracy. But it is the Islamists who have the persian polulation in chains. If gates are open, a great number of Iranians will leave Iran and be glad to come even to India and live here as free people. I have Iranian friends that I am in touch with and they keep me informed of what is going on. I am worried about human rights of civilized Iranians who are living in fear in their own country as captives. I support the people of Iran and not the mullahs who are running their country as dictators. India kept quite and allowed Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons and now they are threatening India with their nuclear weapons. The real issue is that no one is worried about a democratic count having nuclear weapons. The world is worried about other forms of governments that are not elected by people freely and aspiring to own nuclear weapons. World is not worried about India having nuclear weapons - but they are worried non-democratic governments owning nuclear weapons, and this list included communist governments.
I just wanted to share some thoughts with you. Best wishes to you
TSR
Bismillah. The Zionist occupiers/squatters of my brothers lands speak as if they are the voice of the world yet the world over speaks against them. The Zionists have been reprimanded in the UN and at other world organizations far more than any other country for their apartheid, oppression, and usurping lands of my brothers. Yet even with so many universal violations, the Zionist occupiers/squatters have never ever been deterred one iota in wronging brothers and killing our children. These squatters no one wanted them to be settled in their backyard just like no one wants a sewer plant to be located near them. Iran needs to go full speed ahead on building those nukes as a deterrence against its enemies that are no other than the two most hated countries among the Muslim populace. I'm glad relations with Russia are warming across the Muslim world, thank you hadith. Allahu Akbar *3 ~.
very well said Manoj if Israel attacks Iran, America will involve itself... its may be the start of the WW-lll. US will be defeated most probably with the help of China and Russia.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is at liberty to develop their nuclear program or go ahead with nuclear weapons if required. This is for Iran to decide whether to be transparent with the West on this issue or be clandestine. The rhetoric of Israel is simply unwarranted and their claim that Iran is not a responsible nation to be allowed to develop such weapons. What is most surprising is that Israel is strangely talking as if on behalf of the entire globe without any approval? This is perhaps being done at the behest of those nations that are steady supporters of Israel. Who is Israel to make such a rhetoric? If we see through history the most irresponsible nation to have committed the greatest crime on humanity was The United States of America that had bombed the two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945. The nation responsible for the nuclear holocaust has been the US! In Vietnam too after during the Vietnam War the most deadly weapons were used by the US. This makes it clear as to which nation enjoys the status of having been a responsible nation with regard to the usage of nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a democracy nor is it Secular and that is a fact that must be accepted and hence they should liberalise and turn more moderate and work towards a democracy. Also, women in Iran should be given more freedom with regard to education and jobs. The strict Islamic regime can be made moderate. The opinion can and should be shared with the Government of The Islamic Republic of Iran. But the nuclear program of Iran is their internal affair wherein Israel has no reason to interfere make statements that are not very responsible. The United States of America off course is interested in controlling the oil wells of Iran and their intentions are well understood by the entire globe. Hence by all means the US is trying to impose sanctions on Iran.