PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon touring the Israel Aerospace Industries. (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO)
As Iran and the P5+1 powers are locked in negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s power and determination to ensure its security.
Touring the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the agreement under discussion between the P5+1 major powers and Iran was absolutely “unacceptable to Israel.”
Israel is being challenged on many fronts, Netanyahu pointed out, “but there is no doubt that the greatest challenge to our security is the attempt by Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons.”
“In this regard, the agreement now being formulated between the major powers and Iran is unacceptable to Israel,” he stated.
“This agreement is dangerous to Israel, to the region and to the world,” Netanyahu continued, because “it leaves Iran the ability to produce the necessary material for a nuclear bomb within a few months, and afterwards, to produce dozens of nuclear bombs.”
“Therefore, Israel adamantly opposes this agreement. I, as Prime Minister, stand up and say this unequivocally. We will do everything in order to prevent the arming of Iran with nuclear weapons capabilities,” Netanyahu vowed.
Iran Proceeds with Nuclear Development
An intercontinental ballistic missile is test-launched. (Shutterstock)
Just last week Israel revealed that Iran has developed new missiles that can hit any target in Europe.
Satellite photos showed a 27-meter-long missile capable of carrying a warhead “far beyond Europe.” The missiles are seen on a launch pad at a site close to the Iranian capital Tehran.
Negotiators from Iran and the US, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany hope to arrive at an initial agreement by March 30 and to reach a final deal by June 30. Jerusalem is closely and anxiously monitoring these negotiations, fearing that the Iranians will walk away with an agreement with which they can still threaten Israel’s existence.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced earlier in January that Iran had started building two new nuclear power plants in the southern province of Bushehr in order to increase nuclear-generated power output.
Rouhani claimed that Iran is pursuing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, saying, “The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is an example showing that Iran is only looking for a civilian use of the nuclear energy and for power generation.”
Israel – A ‘Space Power’
The visit to IAI headquarters, where the world’s most advanced observation satellites are produced, marked Israeli Space Week.
Israel is a “space power,” Netanyahu affirmed. “We operate on sea, on land, in the air and also in space in order to ensure Israel’s security.”
By: Atara Beck, World Israel News