At UN, Israel’s Bennett Hints at Military Action Against Iran

The Israeli PM says Iran's nuclear program has crossed 'all red lines'

Addressing the UN General Assembly for the first time Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hinted at possible military action against Iran, accusing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program of crossing “all red lines.”

“Iran’s nuclear program has hit a watershed moment. And so has our tolerance,” Bennett said. “Words do not stop centrifuges from spinning.”

Bennett cited Iran’s recent move to enrich some uranium at 60 percent as one of the “red lines.” But 60 percent is still below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade uranium, and Tehran only increased enrichment to such levels in response to an Israeli attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.

The latest Israeli attack on Natanz took place in April. It was a clear effort to sabotage the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran to revive the nuclear deal, which started around the same time.

If the Israelis really cared about Tehran’s enrichment levels, it would favor a US return to the JCPOA since would limit Iran’s enrichment level to 3.67 percent. But instead, the Israelis are pressuring the US not to return to the JCPOA and are constantly threatening military action.

Bennett also accused Iran of wanting to “dominate the region” under a “nuclear umbrella.” The accusation infers that there are currently no nuclear-armed states in the Middle East, ignoring Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.