Israel
21 February 2023

Prime Minister Netanyahu contended that “the only thing that has credibly stopped rogue nations from developing nuclear weapons is a credible military threat or a credible military action. You can couple that with crippling economic sanctions, but that’s not a sufficient condition. A necessary condition, and an often sufficient condition, is credible military action. The longer you wait, the harder that becomes. We've waited very long”. Relatedly, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen opined that “the [U.S.] and Europe cannot stand on the side anymore on the Iranian issue… Iran is very close to enriching uranium to 90 per cent, and Iran is supplying weapons to Russia to fight Ukraine”, further predicting that they “will force snapback [sanctions] on Iran before the UN General Assembly in September”. Cohen went on to warn that “Israel will use any option, including attacking Iran, to prevent them from having a nuclear weapon. But it’s also important that the U.S. and other countries put their credible military threats on the table. Iran is like a cancer. It is a threat to the stability not just of the region but of the entire world… It’s the right time to take the relevant steps immediately”.

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