Israel May Take Unilateral Action Against Iran's Nuclear Program

Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister of Intelligence and Security, warned on Thursday, February 12, that Israel may take unilateral action against Iran's nuclear programs, adding that the Iranian government has not made the necessary concessions in negotiations with world powers. According to AFP, Yuval Steinitz told reporters, "I cannot provide a specific explanation. But all options are still on the table. We have never given up Israel's right to defend itself due to diplomatic constraints." The talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries to reach a final agreement and resolve the 12-year stalemate in the country's nuclear crisis are still far from completion. Following the interim agreement in November 2013, two rounds of talks and the deadline for reaching a final agreement have failed. The six world powers—Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany—have now extended the deadline for reaching a comprehensive political agreement to March 31. If an agreement is reached by the set date, the next step will be to achieve a comprehensive agreement by June 30, which will also include technical points. Iran has denied accusations of seeking nuclear weapons, stating that its nuclear programs have peaceful objectives. Yuval Steinitz stated that Iran has shown very little flexibility in negotiations on key issues such as uranium enrichment, dismantling enrichment facilities, the status of the Arak reactor, and underground and secret enrichment facilities in Fordow. The Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Security added that this is a "disappointing picture" and he raised this issue at a security meeting in Munich with Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yuval Steinitz said, "The Iranians do not show much movement in the negotiations, and as a result, we are very concerned." He added that the agreement being drafted is "full of weaknesses and loopholes. If there is no agreement, everything becomes clear. But since we are witnessing expressions of optimism from both sides, it seems to us that if an agreement is reached by the end of March, it means that this agreement has been achieved without significant concessions or flexibility from Iran." Yuval Steinitz said, "If this is the current picture, how much can it change in a month?" AFP further reports that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, emphasized America's commitment to reaching an agreement by the set deadline after meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, also emphasized on Thursday that he has fundamental disagreements with U.S. President Barack Obama regarding Iran's nuclear programs. Experts say that Iran and the U.S. are now the two decisive parties for reaching any potential agreement.