Nuclear Iran is a threat to the whole world – Israel

JERUSALEM – Iran’s announcement that it has enriched uranium should be a cause for concern for the entire world but may be merely a tactic to strengthen itself against international pressure, Israeli military chiefs said yesterday.

The Jewish state has come to view the regime in Tehran as its number one enemy, alarmed in particular by a call last year from hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” Ahmadinejad called in a speech late on Tuesday for a no-holds-barred acceleration of enrichment work – a process that can be extended to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.His comments came after Iran’s atomic energy chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh told the same conference that nuclear scientists had managed to enrich the uranium to 3,5 per cent, or the purity required for civilian reactor fuel.Israel’s chief of staff Dan Halutz said Iran’s announcement should worry not only the Jewish state but the whole world.”This announcement is worrying for everyone as we have seen with the international reaction,” Halutz told army radio.A nuclear-powered Iran “represents a threat to the whole world and not only Israel,” added Halutz.However Halutz said that Iran was still some way off from being in a position to develop nuclear weapons.”The Iranians are not there yet.Time is an essential element in the diplomatic process, and I believe that things will change during this process,” said Halutz, who is of Iranian origin.The head of Israeli military intelligence also said the international community should be sceptical about how far down the road Iran was in developing its nuclear programme, estimating that it would unlikely acquire a nuclear bomb before the end of the decade.”The Iranians want to present the world with a fait accompli, to determine that the debate over enrichment capabilities is behind them, and that enrichment is already being accomplished on Iranian soil,” Amos Yadlin told the Ha’aretz daily.”The announcements from Tehran are a bargaining chip.They are meant to move the debate to the next point – the extent of enrichment.”According to the Israeli analyst and Iranian expert Reuven Pedatzur, Ahmadinejad’s announcement “is a clear message to the international community that Tehran will continue its nuclear programme without worrying about its protest.”Pedatzur said an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could not be ruled out but called such a situation “extremely hypothetical.”Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, but has campaigned tirelessly for Iran to be brought before the UN Security Council and face sanctions for its nuclear activities.- Nampa-AFPAhmadinejad called in a speech late on Tuesday for a no-holds-barred acceleration of enrichment work – a process that can be extended to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.His comments came after Iran’s atomic energy chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh told the same conference that nuclear scientists had managed to enrich the uranium to 3,5 per cent, or the purity required for civilian reactor fuel.Israel’s chief of staff Dan Halutz said Iran’s announcement should worry not only the Jewish state but the whole world.”This announcement is worrying for everyone as we have seen with the international reaction,” Halutz told army radio.A nuclear-powered Iran “represents a threat to the whole world and not only Israel,” added Halutz.However Halutz said that Iran was still some way off from being in a position to develop nuclear weapons.”The Iranians are not there yet.Time is an essential element in the diplomatic process, and I believe that things will change during this process,” said Halutz, who is of Iranian origin.The head of Israeli military intelligence also said the international community should be sceptical about how far down the road Iran was in developing its nuclear programme, estimating that it would unlikely acquire a nuclear bomb before the end of the decade.”The Iranians want to present the world with a fait accompli, to determine that the debate over enrichment capabilities is behind them, and that enrichment is already being accomplished on Iranian soil,” Amos Yadlin told the Ha’aretz daily.”The announcements from Tehran are a bargaining chip.They are meant to move the debate to the next point – the extent of enrichment.”According to the Israeli analyst and Iranian expert Reuven Pedatzur, Ahmadinejad’s announcement “is a clear message to the international community that Tehran will continue its nuclear programme without worrying about its protest.”Pedatzur said an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could not be ruled out but called such a situation “extremely hypothetical.”Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, but has campaigned tirelessly for Iran to be brought before the UN Security Council and face sanctions for its nuclear activities.- Nampa-AFP