Israeli PM insists will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear arms

Jerusalem, April 18 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, amid reports of renewed negotiations between Tehran and the US administration over a new nuclear agreement.

"The Prime Minister has made clear more than once: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons," Netanyahu's office said on Thursday in a statement.

The office added that Netanyahu, who views Iran as Israel's arch-foe, "has led countless overt and covert operations against Iran's nuclear program," and has "led the global campaign against Iran's nuclear program".

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met with US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman's capital Muscat on Saturday over Tehran's nuclear program, with both sides describing the meeting as "constructive".

The talks in Muscat followed US President Donald Trump's statement in early March that he had sent a letter to Iranian leaders, delivered through the United Arab Emirates, proposing negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran later agreed on indirect talks.

Israel and western governments have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied.

Even before the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack, Netanyahu repeatedly took issue with Iran for its backing of Hamas and other militant groups Israel is currently fighting.

"The Prime Minister has led countless overt and covert actions in the battle against Iran's nuclear program, without which Iran would today possess a nuclear arsenal," the statement said.

"These actions delayed Iran's nuclear program by nearly a decade."

Netanyahu's statement comes ahead of a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations between US and Iranian delegations set to take place in Rome on Saturday.

Trump's efforts to reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear program through mediation appear in contrast to Netanyahu's long standing policy to tackle the issue using military action.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu has been leading the global campaign against Iran's nuclear program for more than a decade, even when some dismissed the threat and referred to it as a 'political spin' and called the Prime Minister 'paranoid'," his office said.

In March, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks but warning of possible military action if they failed to produce a deal.

While Netanyahu has been pushing the US to also take firmer action, a report in the US media on Wednesday said Trump had scuppered an Israeli plan to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump administration officials revealed to the Times that Israel had sought Washington’s assistance to carry out an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in May.

According to the report, the plan and its possible manuevers were under consideration for months.

But during Netanyahu’s visit to the White House earlier this month, Trump told the Israelis he would not support an attack. The president instead publicly announced the direct talks with Tehran.

On Thursday, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi urged the two sides to secure a deal, saying that time was running out.

--IANS

int/khz