Israeli minister warns Iran of ‘military’ response to nukes

As Iran continues its saber-rattling, an Israeli cabinet member responded with a warning from the Jewish state.

By: AP

An Israeli Cabinet minister says if Iran chooses to continue pursuing a nuclear program it will face a “military” answer.

Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz was responding Wednesday to the Iranian nuclear chief’s warning that the Islamic Republic’s program stands ready to build advanced centrifuges and further enrich uranium.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran won’t be deterred by President Donald Trump’s sanctions and withdrawal from the global nuclear deal.

Salehi stressed that Iran would be guided by “prudence and wisdom” when weighing whether to abandon the deal if European nations fail to protect it from Trump, dismissing out of hand the idea of caving to American demands to renegotiate the accord.

“Yes, we have our problems. Yes, the sanctions have caused some problems for us. But if a nation decides to enjoy political independence, it will have to pay the price,” Salehi said. “If Iran decided today to go back to what it was before, the lackey of the United States,” the situation would be different.

Meanwhile, Katz maintained that if Iran presses forth it will face a “direct threat from the United States and its allies.”

The U.S. withdrawal from the deal has already badly shaken Iran’s economy, crashing its currency, the rial. Katz says Iran can either succumb to Trump or watch its economy collapse.