Israel will use force against Iran if nuclear deal fails, insists DM

Israel is seeking a good agreement that restricts Iran from nuclear advancement, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said yesterday.

“We want an agreement that has no expiration date, that wouldn’t give Iran legitimacy to advance in the nuclear programme,” Gantz said during a joint briefing with 80 foreign ambassadors.

He added that if an agreement was not achieved, “Plan B must be used: to use force, to exert economic pressure, to exert political pressure.”

“We are in a race against time.”

“Iran has continued to enrich Uranium to 60 per cent purity, raising its stockpile from ten kilogrammes to 50 since last August,” the minister said.

Citing the recent Negev Summit that was held, with the participation of Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, Gantz said that Tel Aviv was “tightening cooperation with regional actors.”

He also pointed to Israel’s efforts to “strengthening cooperation with the US military in the region” via its Central Command.

READ: The Negev agenda covered US withdrawal and regional security without Palestine