Israeli Foreign Minister: Military Attack on Iran May Be Necessary

The Israeli Foreign Minister has warned that the use of the "military attack" option to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons may be "necessary." Gideon Sa'ar, in an interview with Politico published on Wednesday, March 8, also noted that Israel does not have much hope that diplomatic approaches towards Iran will be effective, adding that "his country is looking to Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic." He further pointed to the increase in Iran's uranium reserves, emphasizing that it is sufficient to build several atomic bombs. This minister in Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet stressed that "failure to stop Iran's nuclear program would be a disaster for Israel's security and could have a very destabilizing effect on the security of the Middle East." Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has activated the "maximum pressure strategy" against Tehran upon returning to the White House but has repeatedly expressed his interest in reaching an agreement with Iran. Mr. Trump has not directly threatened a military attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities, but in an interview with the New York Post published on February 9, he stated, "If an agreement is reached with Tehran, Israel will not bomb Iran." Some have interpreted these remarks as an indirect threat from the U.S. President regarding a military attack on Iran. In contrast, Iranian officials say they are not willing to negotiate with the United States under such conditions. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated on March 7 in a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that "there will be no possibility of direct negotiations between us and the U.S. on the nuclear issue as long as maximum pressure is being applied in this manner." Earlier, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, had publicly opposed negotiations with the United States. In another part of the interview, Mr. Sa'ar expressed that, in his opinion, to stop Iran's nuclear program before Tehran acquires an atomic bomb, a credible military option must be on the table. He warned that otherwise, this issue could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East involving countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The approaching expiration of the 2015 nuclear agreement and the end of the time to activate the "snapback mechanism" in the coming months have increased discussions about the need for quicker decision-making regarding Iran's nuclear program.