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Israel Defense Minister: Iran Nuke Enrichment Could Ignite Region

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galand attends a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in Athens, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galand attends a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in Athens, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Israel Defense Minister: Iran Nuke Enrichment Could Ignite Region

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galand attends a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in Athens, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galand attends a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in Athens, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Israel’s defense minister claimed Thursday that Iran could have enough enriched uranium for five nuclear weapons, and warned Tehran that proceeding to weapons-grade enrichment could “ignite the region.”

His remarks echoed international concerns, which have mounted over the past months, on Tehran enriching uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Experts have said that Tehran has enough fuel to build “several” atomic bombs if it chooses.

“Make no mistake, Iran will not be satisfied by a single nuclear bomb,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday during a visit to Athens.

Uranium enriched for use in nuclear power plants is normally below 20%, while 90% enrichment is considered to be weapons grade.

“So far, Iran has gained material enriched to 20% and 60% for five nuclear weapons," Gallant said. "Iranian progress, enrichment to 90%, would be a grave mistake on Iran’s part and could ignite the region.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in March it would restart inspections and camera-monitoring at some Iranian nuclear facilities after it reported that particles of highly enriched uranium were found at an underground nuclear site.

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Israeli Spy Chief Hands Court Scathing Rebuke of Netanyahu Bid to Sack Him

Israeli Security Agency director Ronen Bar attends a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year -. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS/File
Israeli Security Agency director Ronen Bar attends a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year -. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS/File
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Israeli Spy Chief Hands Court Scathing Rebuke of Netanyahu Bid to Sack Him

Israeli Security Agency director Ronen Bar attends a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year -. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS/File
Israeli Security Agency director Ronen Bar attends a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year -. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS/File

The head of Israel's domestic intelligence service said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to sack him followed his refusal to fulfil requests that included spying on Israeli protesters and disrupting the leader's corruption trial.

In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, said that Netanyahu's March move to dismiss him was not based on professional grounds but was prompted by unmet expectations of personal loyalty to the prime minister.

In response, Netanyahu's office said it would soon deliver a detailed refute of Bar's affidavit, which it called "false". Netanyahu's move to sack Bar fuelled protests in Israel and was suspended by the Supreme Court, after political watchdogs and opposition lawmakers argued the dismissal was unlawful. Critics say that the government is undermining key state institutions and endangering the foundations of Israeli democracy. Netanyahu's Likud party has accused Bar of acting against the prime minister and turning parts of the Shin Bet service into "a private militia of the Deep State." Israel's government has backed Netanyahu, who said that he had lost confidence in Bar over the agency's failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, a security failure that had led to the country's deadliest day, Reuters reported.

But in the unclassified part of his affidavit, Bar argued that the quest to oust him began more than a year after the attack. He cited a series of events between November 2024 and February 2025, which he said appeared to prompt the prime minister's moves against him.

Bar also said he refused to sign off on a security request aimed at preventing continuous testimony by Netanyahu at his corruption trial. Netanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing, began testifying in his long-running court case in December.