Israel Warns Sanctions Relief for Iran Could Mean ‘Terror on Steroids’

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. AFP
TT

Israel Warns Sanctions Relief for Iran Could Mean ‘Terror on Steroids’

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said funding for Iran could lead to "terror on steroids" on Tuesday, in an apparent warning against world powers easing sanctions against Tehran as they seek a new nuclear deal.

"The last thing you want to do ... is pour tens of billions of dollars into this apparatus. Because what will you get? Terror on steroids," Bennett said in a video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Bennett’s comments came as international talks to save the Iran nuclear deal were held in Vienna on Tuesday.

Negotiations to salvage the nuclear deal resumed on November 29 after they were suspended in June as Iran elected a new ultraconservative president.

Abolfazl Amoui, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, told Al Javan newspaper, which is affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, that the Vienna talks are far from reaching an agreement despite the progress they have made compared to previous rounds.

He said the challenges obstructing an agreement include the issue of lifting sanctions demanded by Tehran and steps that Iran must take to revert its nuclear program back to JCPOA levels.

Amoui also pointed out that there are challenges related to the implementation of the agreement.

“In our opinion, important issues include verifying that sanctions would be lifted and ensuring that previous conditions are not repeated,” he said.

Amoui added: “A temporary agreement is not what we want.”

He revealed that media reports about a temporary agreement “are not serious.”



Kremlin Says US Decision on Long-Range Strikes Would Stoke Tension

A serviceman of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine fires a Giatsint-B gun towards Russian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
A serviceman of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine fires a Giatsint-B gun towards Russian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
TT

Kremlin Says US Decision on Long-Range Strikes Would Stoke Tension

A serviceman of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine fires a Giatsint-B gun towards Russian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
A serviceman of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine fires a Giatsint-B gun towards Russian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The Kremlin said on Monday that if the United States allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike far into Russia then it would lead to a rise in tension and deepen the involvement of the United States in the conflict.
Reuters, citing two US officials and a source familiar with the decision, reported on Sunday that the Joe Biden administration has decided to allow Ukraine to make strikes with US-made weapons deep into sovereign Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the outgoing administration of Joe Biden was adding fuel to the fire and seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.