Israel says Iran can't acquire nuclear weapon, warns of 'other options' if diplomacy fails

Israeli Foreign minister Yair Lapid, on October 13, said that Iran could not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, as negotiations on the JCPOA deal continue to be in limbo. Addressing a press conference in Washington, the zionist leader also spoke of “other options” to combat the Iranian threat if diplomacy fails. Lapid, who is in the US capital for a three-day official visit, said that his trip was centred around the “alternate options”, but stopped short of revealing further details.

“Other options are going to be on the table if diplomacy fails,” Lapid told reporters speaking alongside his American and Emirati counterparts-Antony Blinken and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as per Israel Times. Blinken, who has clearly demanded Tehran to return to full compliance, said that they will “continue to look at every option to deal with the challenge that is posed by Iran. We believe that diplomacy is the best way to do that, but it takes two to engage in diplomacy.” 

'Iran cannot acquire nuclear weopons' 

The negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal has been on hiatus since June but more recently both sides have hinted at its possible revival. On Wednesday, Blinken stressed that all parties involved in the deal have agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear arsenal. Asserting that time was “running short”, he added that they were “getting closer to a point at which returning to compliance with the JCPOA will not in and of itself recapture the benefits of the JCPOA”. Under the deal, Tehran is obliged to scale back its nuclear or uranium enrichment program in exchange for promises of economic relief by the US and other parties.

Last week, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that diplomacy is the best path to curb the expansion of Iranian Nuclear Programmes, reiterating President Joe Biden’s preference for negotiations over retaliatory actions. His remarks came as he hosted his Israeli counterpart Dr Eyal Hulata and a "high-level Israeli delegation" in the White House. It is imperative to note that both the countries have jointly formed the ‘US-Israel Strategic Group’ to counter Iran. The deal, signed in 2015 between Iran and other major world powers, including the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany (P5+1), saw Washington lifting economic sanctions against Tehran.

(Image: Yair Lapid/Twitter)