Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday warned that nuclear weapons in the
hands of the Iranian regime would lead to regional proliferation, the
spread of terrorism and a threat to oil supplies from the Middle East, UK daily The Guardian reported.
Speaking as part of a panel on Iran at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Barak told those assembled that "you
can't conceive of a stable world order when Iran has nuclear weapons."
Barak,
appearing alongside Yukiya Amano, the chief of the UN's nuclear
watchdog agency, stated that "Iran is prepared to defy and deceive the whole
world to turn themselves into a nuclear power," according to The
Guardian.
"This will be the end of any conceivable
anti-proliferation program. Major powers in the region will feel
compelled to turn nuclear," he added, listing Saudi Arabia, Turkey and
Egypt as countries who would be compelled to enter the nuclear arms race
should Iran acquire an atomic bomb.
The defense minister accused
Iran of trying to intimidate its neighbors in the Gulf in order to gain
hegemony over oil resources in the region.
"It is the time for
much tougher diplomacy and sanctions because there is a risk not just to
Israel but to the whole world. It will be much more complicated, much
more dangerous and much more costly if we allow it to happen," The
Guardian quoted Barak as saying.
Amano said that he was sending
an International Atomic Energy Agency team to Iran on Saturday and that
he was convinced Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons capability.
"Our
information is credible. Iran is engaged in activities relevant to the
development of nuclear explosives. We have asked for talks and we are
meeting with them," Amano stated.
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