Iran’s Diplomatic Push Sheds Uncomfortable Light on Israel’s Nukes

Rohani Disavows Nuclear Arms, Fueling Israeli Ire

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Hassan Rohani reiterated his nation’s disavowal of nuclear weaponry, saying all nations should pursue nuclear technology purely for peaceful, civilian purposes.

As with any time Iran seeks diplomacy, Israel is taking it extremely personally, storming out of the UN during the speech in a carefully planned show of “outrage,” and has been railing against the speech ever since as a plot.

Israel’s concern is very real though, as calls for peaceful nuclear technology run afoul not only of Israel’s regional goals, but of their massive nuclear arsenal, and a deal with Iran will bring uncomfortable attention to Israel’s own undeclared weapons.

While publicly Israel wants to resolve questions about Iran’s civilian program, the practical matter is that any deal at all is going to be bad news for them, since it will inevitably restart calls for a deal with Israel about its arms.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.