Netanyahu: Iran still seeking to build nuclear weapons
The Israeli Prime Minister says he has "new information and conclusive evidence" that shows that Iran, despite its claims, has maintained a nuclear weapons program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech about Iran's nuclear program in front of television cameras at the Israeli Defense Ministry on Monday evening (April 30).
Netanyahu said Iran has been keeping a vast research program secret to build a future atomic bomb. He reported the existence of a “secret nuclear archive” in Tehran that Israeli security services had discovered. “Iran has lied,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli Prime Minister showed a number of folders and CDs to reporters present at the Defense Ministry building and claimed that the Israeli security apparatus had obtained 55,000 pages and 55,000 digital files containing information about Iran's nuclear program in a secret operation.
Netanyahu called the international community's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran a "terrible deal" and said the deal should never have been signed because, he claimed, "it is based on lies."
The Israeli Prime Minister continued his remarks to the media, saying that Iran could build five nuclear bombs with the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, with the materials it hid after signing the nuclear agreement (JCPOA).
Netanyahu added that Iran has been planning at the highest levels to advance its nuclear program. He said his information about Iran's nuclear program has been confirmed by the United States.
The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized: "When Iran said it never had a plan to build a nuclear bomb, it lied."
According to Netanyahu, Iranian leaders have hidden documents related to their nuclear program in order to continue it at the appropriate time; Tehran's goal is to equip its long-range missiles with nuclear bombs.
The Israeli Prime Minister announced that he intends to share his documents and evidence about Iran's nuclear program with other countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He added that he has shared his information with the United States.
Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday (Sunday, April 29) and discussed Iran and the nuclear deal with the country. After meeting with Pompeo, he also spoke by phone with Donald Trump.
In less than two weeks, the US President is scheduled to decide whether to remain in the JCPOA.
In recent days, European countries have made many efforts to convince Donald Trump not to withdraw from the JCPOA. Among them, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Washington to hold face-to-face talks to prevent the US from withdrawing from the JCPOA.
However, it seems that European leaders are not very optimistic about the outcome of their consultations.
In his remarks today, Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US president's possible decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, accusing the leaders of the Islamic Republic of lying and speaking in a way that his decision to withdraw from the JCPOA is definitive.
Iranian officials' reaction to Netanyahu's statements
Two Iranian officials have reacted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the documents presented by Netanyahu "fake and fabricated."
Araqchi said: "The fact that Netanyahu is performing this show 10 days before Trump's announcement of his decision on the JCPOA is clear that it is a theater designed to influence Trump's decision, or that they are seeking to stage a scene to destroy the JCPOA."
The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized: "We are prepared for all scenarios, but the very nature of these claims and actions shows how concerned and angry the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are about the JCPOA and the conditions that this agreement has created for Iran."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif himself tweeted before Netanyahu's speech that the Israeli prime minister "wants to tell lies and deceit again about Iran's nuclear program."
Source: DW
