For whom the nuclear bells knell?
Mon., December 05, 2005 Kislev 4, 5766
UN nuclear watchdog: Iran may be months from nuclear bomb
By Haaretz Service and Agencies
If Iran's Natanz enrichment plant becomes fully operational, the Iranians could be few months away from a nuclear weapon, the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency told the British newspaper The Independent in an interview published Monday.
"If they start enriching this is a major issue and a serious concern for the international community," Mohamed ElBaradei told the newspaper.
"I know they are trying to acquire the full fuel cycle. I know that acquiring the full fuel cycle means that a country is months away from nuclear weapons, and that applies to Iran and everybody else," he added.
Meanwhile, Iran responded fiercely Monday to a call by Likud MK Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel to deal with the Iranian nuclear program in the same way it did with the Iraqi atomic facility it destroyed in a 1981 air strike.
Speaking to The Independent, ElBaradei also urged Iran and the West to refrain from escalating their dangerous game of brinkmanship.
"Everybody would hurt," he told the paper, referring to all parties in the dispute. "You would then open a Pandora's box. There would be efforts to isolate Iran; Iran would retaliate; and at the end of the day you have to go back to the negotiating table to find the solution."
Iran: 'Devastating' response to Israeli attack
Iran on Monday reiterated its warning from the day before that Israel would pay a heavy price for any attempt to wipe out its nuclear program.
"The Zionist regime is well aware that if it made such a grave mistake, the Iranian reaction would be devastating," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi was quoted as saying by the Iranian student news agency ISNA.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry had said Sunday that Tehran would respond with severity to any Israeli actions against it.
"These are empty threats and prove that Israel is pulling the strings behind the scenes and is directing the international community to impose sanctions," the spokesman said.
Netanyahu said earlier Sunday that Israel should take "bold and daring" action to thwart Iran's plans for nuclear armament, citing Israel's 1981 air strike on the Iraqi nuclear facility.
"The Iranian threat is an existential one, as it is a country that declared its plans to destroy Israel and is developing the tools to carry out this destruction. In this regard, I will continue the legacy of Menachem Begin, who thwarted Iran's neighbor, Iraq, from acquiring nuclear weapons by adopting bold and daring measures. I believe that is what Israel needs to do," Netanyahu told Israel Radio.
In 1981, Begin ordered an air strike on Iraq's nuclear facility in Osirak, near Baghdad. As a result of the attack, Iraq's nuclear armament plan was thwarted.
Netanyahu said he has stated, in various forums, that everything possible must be done to prevent Iran's nuclear armament. "This is the Israeli government's primary obligation. If it is not done by the current government, I plan to lead the next government to stop the Iranians."
Netanyahu clarified that he was referring to, "all actions necessary to prevent a situation in which Iran will threaten us with nuclear weapons."
Netanyahu, who is vying for Likud chairmanship, also said that if Prime Minister Ariel Sharon takes action to thwart the Iranian threat, he would enjoy "my full support, regardless of political considerations."
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Sunday that he is skeptical that diplomatic pressure will put a halt to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"The fact that the Iranians are successful time after time in getting away from international pressure...encourages them to continue their nuclear project," Halutz told foreign reporters.
"I believe that the political means that are used by the Europeans and the U.S. to convince the Iranians to stop the project will not succeed," Halutz added.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But last month, the European Union accused Iran of having documents that show how to make nuclear warheads, and joined the U.S. in warning Tehran that it could face referral to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
In October, a call by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be wiped off the map drew global condemnation, and gave greater impetus to efforts to deter Iran's nuclear plans.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said talks between Iran and European countries, which had broken down in August after Tehran restarted uranium conversion, would resume in two weeks.
Ahead of the renewed diplomatic meetings between Britain, France, Germany and Iran, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran was optimistic about the talks.
Sharon said Sunday that Iran must not be allowed to become a nuclear power, but Israel is not in the vanguard of efforts to block Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
haaretz.com |
