Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Wednesday that a “reliable military option” could be required to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran from taking the final steps toward acquiring nuclear weapons.
Speaking to Politico during a visit to Brussels, Jerusalem’s top diplomat said time was running out to act against Iran’s nuclear program, as Tehran had enriched enough uranium for a “couple of bombs” and was now “playing with ways” to weaponize it.
Jerusalem still wants to pursue a diplomatic path, Sa’ar said, adding however that the chances of negotiations being successful were “not huge” and that a failure to stop Tehran would be a “catastrophe for the security of Israel.”
Failure to take out Iran’s nuclear program during the presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump has the potential to trigger a “nuclear race in the Middle East with Egypt, Saudis, Turkey,” said Sa’ar.
Also adding to the urgency of addressing the threat emanating from Tehran, Sa’ar continued, is the recent uptick in Iranian weapons being smuggled into Judea and Samaria, where Israeli security forces have been conducting a major counter-terrorism operation since Jan. 21.
Security forces are “now confronting a huge attempt by Iran via money and weapons that are floating to what you call the West Bank,” he stated, adding that the goal was to “inflame these territories” at Tehran’s behest.
Iran has put defense systems around its nuclear sites on high alert amid fears of a joint U.S.-Israeli attack, British daily The Telegraph reported on Tuesday, citing two “high-level government sources” in Tehran.
The Iranian official who spoke to The Telegraph said there are currently fears in regime circles that “the U.S. could join in and launch a larger-scale attack that could put the Islamic Republic’s existence in danger.”
In related news, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday dismissed the possibility of direct nuclear talks with the United States.
“There will be no possibility of direct talks between us and the United States on the nuclear issue as long as the maximum pressure is applied in this way,” Araghchi said, referring to recent sanctions on Tehran.
Addressing the Islamic Republic’s threats at a joint press conference with top European Union officials in Brussels on Monday, Sa’ar said, “The time to act is now. The objective is to avoid a nuclear Iran.”
“The biggest danger to the world is that the most dangerous regime will obtain the most dangerous weapon. Jewish people have learned from history—when your enemy declares its intent to annihilate you, you better believe it,” Sa’ar told reporters, according to his office.
“The international community must make clear to Iran that if it proceeds with its nuclear program, it will risk the regime,” the official concluded.
