Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that the best way to deal with Iran is with sanctions and a “credible military threat.”
“If you have rogue regimes that are (intending to get) nuclear weapons, you can sign 100 agreements with them, it doesn’t help,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu played a major role in convincing the Trump administration to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. The agreement made Iran’s nuclear program subject to the most stringent inspections in the world and capped its uranium enrichment at 3.67%, vastly below the 90% needed for weapons-grade.
As the Pentagon recently acknowledged in its Nuclear Posture Review, Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon, but it has increased its nuclear activity since the US withdrew from the deal and reimposed crippling economic sanctions. Iran also stepped up uranium enrichment in response to Israeli covert attacks inside the Islamic Republic.
Following the Israeli assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020, Iran’ brought its enrichment up to 20%. Israel was also behind an April 2021 explosion at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which coincided with the US and Iran holding indirect talks on reviving the JCPOA. After the incident, Iran started enriching some uranium at 60%, the highest level they had ever attempted.
Despite the fact that Iran’s heightened nuclear activity is the result of sanctions, covert attacks, and the lack of a nuclear deal, Israeli officials still point to it as evidence Tehran can’t be negotiated with and call for force. “I think the only way that you can stop or abstain from getting nuclear weapons is a combination of crippling economic sanctions, but the most important thing, is a credible military threat,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
Often missing from the US and Israeli narrative about Iran is the fact that Israel has a secret nuclear weapons program that is not subject to any inspections. Current estimates put Israel’s arsenal somewhere between 90 and 300 warheads, and every US president since Nixon has agreed not to press Israel to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In 2021, reports said President Biden and Israeli former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett renewed this long-standing agreement. In exchange for not being pressed to sign the NPT, Israel doesn’t declare its nuclear program and operates it in secret.
Netanyahu’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions in the region between the US, Israel, and Iran. Over the weekend, a drone attack inside Iran targeted a military facility in the city of Isfahan. US officials speaking to the media said Israel was behind the attack and emphasized that it came as the US and Israel were discussing ways to counter Iran’s military capabilities.
The more chaos in West Asia, the more land Israel can grab and the more settlements it can construct. Chaos has been Israel’s cover since the Iraq War.
There are no peace deals happening there, but there is an undercurrent of rapprochement between the Saudis and Iran though. And, that would go a long way to stabilizing the area temporarily. At least, everyone would have to rethink their strategies of self interest and the opposing threats. Since the Saudis are headed to joining the BRICS and surely the Shanghai Cooperative, it makes sense to get the Iran relationship livable to some degree. Netanyahu needs to be careful. Iran is not Gaza where 45% of the population is children. Iran has friends with ample ballistics.
The government of Israel well understands the animus and the military threat that Iran poses.
Netanyahu Says Sanctions and ‘Credible Military Threat’ Is How to Deal With Israel
Bravo Bibi!
Classic war mongering. And not a peep from Biden.
Not really sure what Iran is doing to deserve eeny more threats from US here in the U.S. v
And Iran Says Resistance and ‘Credible Counter Military Threat’ Is How to Deal With Israel…!
Bibi should appear at the Comedy Store. Funny guy. Iran is already under U.S. sanctions, and, is being attacked by Israel. Further, the “rules based” U.S. of A. has intercepted Iranian oil tankers, pirated them to sell Iranian oil on the open market, and, the same “rules based” U.S. of A. has been stealing Syrian oil.
Did the CNN talking head ask Nutty about the US nuclear posture review, which states that Iran’s program is not about weapons? Did he/she ask about the logic of using threats to decrease the other party’s likelihood of seeking weapons to defend themselves? Was he asked about his myriad “6-month to nuclear weapon” warnings and UN cartoons that he never seems to be embarrassed about?
I mean, enquiring minds want to know …
“Often missing from the US and Israeli narrative about Iran is the fact that Israel has a secret nuclear weapons program that is not subject to any inspections.”
This has to end. It’s like saying it’s a secret that the sun sets in the west.
Yes. And I love this bit:
How is that a quid pro quo? I mean, we’ll ignore you are breaking the rules as long as you don’t rub it in our face? And that’s considered sane logic somehow?
For some reason that slipped right by me. And sooo obvious.
ooops
Who inspects the Chinese,Indian,or French nuclear assets?
All three you cite are signatories of IAEA protocols I Imagine and thereby have agreed to them. Israel refuses to sign. Why else would there be so much ambiguity & duplicity coming from them on their nuclear capabilities. As time goes on and more and more states in the region get nukes, Israels total lack of strategic depth will make their threats ring hollow because there is not enough of it there to come back from even a very small attack. But they think they con overcome such things.
Which is exactly why they consider Iran’s nuclear program to be an existential threat. Especially when a former “moderate” Iranian leader(Rafsanjani) essentially referred to Israel as a one bomb country. Israel does not need to apologize for doing everything possible to survive.
“If one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists’ strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything.”
So, he’s basically saying Israel won’t be able to pop off with their threats so easily.
Why is it that you and I understand this statement in different ways? I am a Jew. I was born in Israel. I lost dozens of relatives in the Holocaust (including grandparents, uncles and cousins). Iran has made direct and indirect threats to destroy Israel. And here says the president of Iran that “one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything”. There is no margin of error here for Israel.
“There is no margin of error here for Israel.”
Apparently most Israelis don’t understand that, or Likud wouldn’t be a significant faction in the Knesset.
I look at it as him talking about it as deterrence. And he made that statement in 2001. That’s about 10 years after Bibi started clamoring for the US to go to war with Iran. So, Israel has done the same as far as direct and indirect threats and has the superpower in their back pocket. How should Iran react? And why do you think Iran is suicidal? Do you think their goals will be met and their country being turned into an ash heap is ok with them?
A total nuclear first stroke by Israel against Iran would be morally justified,for the reason you mentioned.
Any Israeli attack on Iran will be the end of Israel, and if this foolish state uses nukes it is guaranteed a nuke will finish Israel. Maybe not Iran’s, but someone will do it.
You kids are so gung-ho about countries dropping nukes on others without any consequence.
That is as dumb as thinking Iran will nuke Israel and live to talk about it.
How is that relevant to what I said?
Black in the Empire on Twitter today:
“Americans never tire of being lied to, stolen from and made to look like fools by our Gov’t and their owners. It doesn’t matter that we always find out we were played for suckers after the fact, we’ll not only go for it again next time, but attack those trying to warn them.”
I’m not smarter than the average. I’m just tired of being lied to and being played for a sucker.
Netanyahoo can stuff it up his fat behind.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/the-west-sees-iran-in-a-new-way/
FEBRUARY 2, 2023 BY M. K. BHADRAKUMAR
The West sees Iran in a new way
Israel leadership is as hellbent on war as the neocons in the U.S. Perhaps they belong to the same club?
Netanyahu is the true definition of the word fiend. Everything he touches either dies, or is eventually destroyed. It is a sad affair that Israel has not been able become a fair, just and civilized state. Palestinians at this point should call it a day and give up on statehood. A mass migration to other ME states would suit them better at this point.
Wealthy people with money and power are bored. They seek an end because they are tired of living and need an exciting finale.
Anytime anyone says “rogue regimes”, it simply means government they have no control over.
Or they are the actual rogue regime.