Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Sunday that even if a nuclear deal is signed, Iran must be prevented from being a nuclear threshold state.
“A nuclear deal, if signed with Iran – does not mark the end of the road,” he said. “Action must be taken to ensure that Iran does not continue to enrich in additional facilities, and oversight must be increased. It is essential that the IAEA continues to investigate and monitor open files. We must ensure that the advanced centrifuges are not found in other facilities.”
Gantz said that it is “critical that the sunset clause is not interpreted as an expiration date that enables Iran to revisit its nuclear ambitions. All steps must be taken to ensure that Iran never becomes a nuclear-threshold state. The world must never come to terms with it and Israel will never come to terms with it.”
In addition to Iran’s nuclear program, Gantz warned that the country’s ballistic missile program, which would provide the capability to carry nuclear warheads, “must be stopped.”
Israel considers Iran’s nuclear program its No. 1 concern and though Tehran consistently denies that it seeking to build a nuclear bomb, Iran has several rockets that can reach Israeli territory, including the Khoramshahr 2 with a range of up to 2,000 km. (1,243 miles) and the Shahab-3.
In addition to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the Islamic Republic’s regional hostility is also increasing with attacks against Israeli and Gulf targets from countries like Yemen and Iraq.
Iran, Gantz said, “takes over failed states, forcing them to defend Iranian interests, while committing severe human rights violations.”
“We view with great concern the attacks conducted against our partners in the region – attacks that according to our assessments are being carried out under the guidance and approval of Iranian leadership, employing weapons - some of which are produced in Iran, and implementing operational know-how gained in Iran,” he continued.
Iran has been building an army of unmanned aerial systems for decades and the fleet not only has a significant range of over 2,000 kilometers but has very advanced development and operational capabilities. They have been accused of transferring their drones and know-how to their proxies across the region.
Iranian drones have been behind deadly and devastating attacks against targets at sea as well as at land in recent years.
“Iran violates freedom of navigation. Even worse – Iranian UAV attacks have claimed innocent lives, such as the British and Romanian civilians killed in the Mercer Street Attack off the Gulf Coast,” Gantz said. “Iran also endangers civilian flights, which could be hit by UAVs that cannot change course.”
Due to Iran’s increasingly aggressive moves, Israel has been increasing its strikes against Iranian targets in Syria as part of its war-between-wars campaign to prevent Tehran from entrenching in the war-torn country and smuggling weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"In this context – I have a clear message for Hezbollah. Their operatives are familiar with the noise made by our aircraft engines, and with their capabilities. If we are required to respond and to attack in order to defend ourselves, we will do so and we will cause great damage to the terror organization and its surroundings,” Gantz said, warning that Lebanon “will, unfortunately, have to be held responsible.”
“We will not hesitate to act anytime and anywhere necessary for the security of the State of Israel.”
Gantz, who was participating on a panel that discussed the Abraham Accords, said that the accords allowed the “gates of the Middle East” to open to cooperation that would “strengthen our economies, spread innovation and contribute to regional stability and security.”
The defense minister also touched on the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, saying that the world is “in a critical period for global security.”
“Now, as clouds of war gather above us, it is the responsibility of world leaders to spread calm, to promote discourse and to uphold the principles that will preserve world peace and security. This should be the approach towards the conflict in Ukraine – and I call on all parties, even if we are in the last minute – everything must be done to prevent bloodshed.”