Netanyahu: Preventing Iran's Nuclear Armament Remains Israel's Top Priority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
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Netanyahu: Preventing Iran's Nuclear Armament Remains Israel's Top Priority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament with US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as a guest, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP)

The need to block Iran's nuclear armament will continue to be Israel's top priority, announced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu spoke at the Knesset plenum attended by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

He noted that the first and most urgent challenge was the joint effort of Israel and the US to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"We properly see the threat posed by the fanatical regime in Iran, which threatens not only Israel but also the United States and the entire free world," the PM noted.

He asserted that Israel would not allow Iran to establish itself militarily along its borders and would do everything to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, met the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, in Brussels.

Cohen aimed to ensure that the EU would take a tougher stance on Iran's repeated violations of its nuclear commitments before June's meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors.

Cohen is expected to ask Borrell to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, according to the Israeli "i24 News" channel.

Last Thursday, Cohen urged his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, to form a broad and firm front against Iran, including economic and political sanctions.

Cohen told Albares, "We must form a broad and determined front against Iran, which includes economic and political sanctions at the same time as a credible military threat."

"Today Europe has a better understanding of the danger of the Iranian rule of terror," the Israeli minister tweeted.

He indicated that he discussed strengthening relations between Israel and the European Union- with Spain in particular- in the fields of cyber and fin-tech.



Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran has downplayed the effect of US President Donald Trump’s re-election on its decision to retaliate “decisively” against Israel's airstrike on Iranian military bases last month.
Meanwhile, diplomats have signaled Iran's interest in talks with the new US administration, without external pressure.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected any change in Iran's stance after Trump’s return to office. At a weekly press conference on Monday, he said: “Iran will never ask for permission to defend its sovereignty, and any aggression will be met with a strong response.”
Asked about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites, Baghaei replied, “We have taken necessary steps to protect our interests and nuclear program.”
He also referenced Resolution 533, which prohibits any threat or use of force against nuclear facilities under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“This document exists,” he said, adding that it stresses the UN Security Council’s responsibility to act against such threats. “A threat to nuclear facilities is a threat to international peace and security.”
On Oct. 26, Israeli warplanes attacked military sites in Iran after a large Iranian missile strike on Israel earlier that month.
Iran had launched 200 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Israeli airstrikes.
The two nations exchanged direct strikes in April, but did not engage in full-scale war.
As tensions between Iran and Israel grow, there are fears of a direct conflict, after years of covert actions and indirect strikes in the region.
Since last month’s airstrikes, Israel has warned Iran against further retaliation.
However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has promised a “severe response,” and other Iranian officials have threatened revenge.
In the days leading up to the US presidential election on Nov. 5, signs of further escalation emerged.
On Nov. 3, the US announced the deployment of new military assets to the Middle East, scheduled to arrive “in the coming months” to defend Israel and warn Iran, according to a Pentagon statement.
Iranian Army Commander Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Thursday that Iran will decide the timing and method of its response, and when the time is right, “We will not hesitate. Our response will be overwhelming.”
However, Iran’s verbal threats have toned down since Trump's election victory.