Barak calls on world to stop Iranian nuclear threat

Speaking at World Economic Forum in Davos, defense minister calls for tougher sanctions against Islamic Republic.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Barak at Davos 311 (photo credit: Ariel Harmony / Defense Ministry)
Barak at Davos 311
(photo credit: Ariel Harmony / Defense Ministry)
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.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
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.