Iran says its nuclear work has medical uses and will produce energy to meet domestic demand. PHOTO: FILE
Speaking to army radio, Yuval Steinitz, who also holds the intelligence portfolio, said the latest inconclusive round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers proved that the Islamic republic was stalling.
"The Iranians are playing games and laughing all the way to the bomb," he said.
"It is time to present the Iranians with a military threat or some kind of red line, an unequivocal ultimatum from the entire world, (which must be delivered) by the United States and the West," Steinitz said.
He said the international community should give Tehran "a few weeks, a month" in which to cease enriching uranium, but did not elaborate on what should be the consequence of non-compliance.
"As it makes progress with enriching uranium, Iran is likely to become a threshold state and that must be stopped now," Steinitz said.
After two days of talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear programme, chief negotiator Catherine Ashton, the European Union's top diplomat, said on Saturday that the sides were still "far apart."
The clock is running down on diplomacy to solve the Iranian nuclear crisis, with Israel refusing to rule out a pre-emptive strike targeting atomic facilities in the Islamic republic.
The Jewish state is widely believed to be the Middle East's sole nuclear-armed state, albeit undeclared.
Iran insists on international recognition of what it says is its "right" to enrich uranium, a key component of the nuclear fuel cycle which can also be used to make the explosive core of an atomic bomb.
World powers say Tehran must end enrichment to high levels and verifiably suspend operations at the Fordo mountain bunker where such activity takes place before recognising Iran's rights to pursue less threatening activities.
Iran denies it is developing the atomic bomb and argues that it requires a nuclear programme solely for peaceful medical and energy needs.
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@cautious: Israel has earlier bombed both Saddam's and Syria's nuclear facilities in surprise moves. In both such cases, the international community was not involved; in Iran it is involved. There is no doubt Israel will bomb Iran at the most opportune time when it feels Iran has reached the red line it has set. It is not demanding protection from US; it has proved itself to be sufficiently capable of doing that itself when it was but an infant republic in 1948. As a responsible state it is trying hard to be in step with the rest of the world. But, if its own intelligence comes to a conclusion that the time has come, it will do the needful regardless of others. And, it shall be able to claim that it had given enough warnings about its intentions before taking the precipitate action. Bottom line is Iran, like other Muslim powers like Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Libya etc. shall be exposed as another hot air windbag of a country!
So what's preventing Israel from setting it's own time limit/ultimatum - why should the American's or anyone else have to fight a war to protect Israel who has clearly demonstrated that it has the ability to defend itself.