Israel Will Do 'Whatever It Takes' to Prevent Iran From Getting Nuclear Arms, Lapid Says
17:45 GMT 22.09.2022 (Updated: 17:27 GMT 15.01.2023)
© AP Photo / Debbie Hill
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UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Israel will do whatever it takes to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said during his United Nations General Assembly speech on Thursday.
"We have capabilities and we are not afraid to use them," Lapid said. "We will do whatever it takes, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon."
Israel wants the international partners to negotiate a "stronger and longer" nuclear agreement with Iran by putting a credible military threat on the table, Lapid went on to say.
"The only way to prevent Iran from getting a new nuclear weapon is to put a credible military threat on the table, and then, and only then, to negotiate a longer and stronger deal with them," Lapid said.
The prime minister emphasized what needs to be made clear to Iran is that the world will respond with military force, not words, if Iran advances its nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during his speech at the UN General Assembly that Tehran is not seeking to obtain or build nuclear weapons.
"The only way to prevent Iran from getting a new nuclear weapon is to put a credible military threat on the table, and then, and only then, to negotiate a longer and stronger deal with them," Lapid said.
The prime minister emphasized what needs to be made clear to Iran is that the world will respond with military force, not words, if Iran advances its nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during his speech at the UN General Assembly that Tehran is not seeking to obtain or build nuclear weapons.
21 September 2022, 13:46 GMT
Raisi blasted the United States for trampling on the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He also noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency had repeatedly found that the United States had withdrawn from its commitments under the accord while Iran had paid a price for having lived up to its commitments.
Raisi said Iran had been extremely flexible during the negotiations to revive JCPOA and talks would not have advanced beyond the first several days had it not been for Tehran’s flexibility. Iran remains "very serious" about the negotiations and is willing to resolve all issues as long as the rights of the Iranian people are respected, he added.
The JCPOA deal was agreed on in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union. Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from JCPOA in 2018 and re-imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran.
