Page 10 - MEOG Week 39 2021

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Israeli PM tells UN Iran

has crossed all red lines

ISRAEL ISRAELI Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said hundreds of nuclear warheads.”
on September 27 that Iran has crossed “all red Separately, the UN nuclear watchdog, the
lines” set down by major powers for its nuclear International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA),
development programme and pledged that Israel said on September 26 that Iran had failed to fully
would not allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear honour the terms of an agreement made two
weapon. weeks ago to permit the watchdog’s inspectors
In his first speech to the United Nations Gen- to service monitoring equipment in the country.
eral Assembly, Bennett said Iran sought to dom- “The [IAEA] Director General [Rafael
inate the Middle East under a “nuclear umbrella” Grossi] stresses that Iran’s decision not to allow
and urged a more concerted international effort agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge com-
to halt Iran’s nuclear activities, Reuters reported. ponent manufacturing workshop is contrary to
But he also hinted at the potential for Israel to act the agreed terms of the joint statement issued on
on its own against Iran, something it has repeat- 12 September,” the International Atomic Energy
edly threatened. Agency said in a statement.
“Iran’s nuclear programme has hit a water- Iran’s envoy to the IAEA responded on Sep-
shed moment, and so has our tolerance. Words tember 27 that Grossi’s report was not correct
do not stop centrifuges from spinning,” Ben- and goes beyond the agreed terms of the joint
nett said. “Israel will not allow Iran to acquire a statement.
nuclear weapon.” The UN ambassador for Iran, “Any decision taken by Iran on monitoring
which has denied ever having had an ambition to equipment is only based on political rather than
build a nuclear bomb, rejected Bennett’s speech legal considerations and the Agency cannot and
as “full of lies.” should not consider it as one of its entitlements,”
Bennett, a far-right politician, wants US Pres- Kazem Gharibabadi said on Twitter.
ident Joe Biden to harden his stance against Iran. “During the discussions in Tehran & Vienna,
“Iran’s nuclear weapons programme is at a Iran indicated that since Tessa Karaj Complex is
critical point. All red lines have been crossed,” still under security and judicial investigations,
Bennett said, adding: “If we put our heads to it, equipment related to this Complex are not
if we’re serious about stopping it, if we use our included for servicing. That’s why the phrase
resourcefulness, we can prevail.” “identified equipment” has been used in the “JS,”
“Iran-phobia runs rampant at UN,” Iran’s Gharibabadi added.
UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi wrote The workshop was the victim of apparent
on Twitter. He added that Israel “is in no posi- sabotage in June in which one of four IAEA cam-
tion to discuss our peaceful program when it has eras there was destroyed.™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 39 29•September•2021