“Iran’s nuclear program is at a critical point. All red lines have been crossed,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Monday during his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
“Iran’s nuclear program has hit a watershed moment, and so has our tolerance. Words do not stop centrifuges from spinning.”
As reported this week, Iran violated a deal reached earlier this month with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) when it refused to allow inspectors access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop.
Iranian officials also failed to explain why an IAEA camera at the workshop was destroyed in June and refused to hand over the camera’s “data storage medium” as specified in the agreement.
“Iran’s goal is crystal clear to anybody who cares to open their eyes: Iran seeks to dominate the region – and seeks to do so under a nuclear umbrella,” said Bennett, who went on to accuse Iran of funding its enemies’ militias. Bennett ended his speech with an appeal to the international community for help but vowed to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons no matter what the cost. “If we put our heads to it, if we’re serious about stopping it, if we use our resourcefulness, we can prevail,” he said.
His speech was ill-received by Iranian ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi, who criticized Bennett for his “silence on Palestine” and complained of “Iran-phobia” at the UN.
In a pre-recorded speech delivered to the assembly, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for a return to nuclear talks without “pressure” from Western nations.
Sources:
Israeli prime minister: Iran has crossed nuclear ‘red lines’
Iran failing to comply with nuclear monitoring deal, watchdog says