Israeli Minister of Intelligence: If the Islamic Republic Does Not Surrender Now, a Military Coalition Against Iran Must Be Formed

The Israeli Minister of Intelligence states that Iran's action in resuming uranium enrichment is "an excuse for war" and that if "Iran does not surrender now," the U.S. and allied countries should form a "military coalition" against Iran. Yisrael Katz made these remarks on Tuesday, June 15, in an interview with a local radio station in Tel Aviv. Katz's comments were in response to the orders issued on Monday by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, regarding the resumption of uranium enrichment "within the framework of the JCPOA" and "preparing for other actions." The Israeli minister said that "if the Iranians do not surrender now" and attempt to return to unsupervised uranium enrichment, "the President of the United States and all the Western coalition must send them a clear message." He added that "Arabs and Israelis will certainly join this move." According to Katz, the message should be that "if the Iranians return to a level of uranium enrichment that gives them the ability to build a nuclear bomb, a military coalition will be formed against them." Katz, who is a member of the security cabinet including ministers of sensitive positions, also stated that the Iranian leader's order to intensify uranium enrichment stems from "the severe fear of the Iranian leadership and the sanctions imposed by President (Donald) Trump are bearing fruit." The Israeli minister noted that the Iranians have two options: "either accept the U.S. position or collapse under economic pressure." Katz also mentioned that protests and dissatisfaction among Iranians have intensified and may lead to the regime's collapse. Ali Khamenei, during the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran's death, stated that the Iranian nation and government cannot accept both sanctions and "nuclear imprisonment." Khamenei said that the necessary preparations for Iran to achieve 190,000 SWU "should currently be made within the framework of the JCPOA." Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Tuesday at a press conference that preparations for producing 19,000 SWU for uranium enrichment at the Natanz nuclear site have begun, while Iran's current capacity is only about 6,000 SWU (a unit of measurement for nuclear capacity in separating uranium isotopes). Additionally, reports indicate that Iran has officially informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, it will take actions including increasing capacity for producing UF6 and UF4 gas and constructing and assembling a "centrifuge rotor" factory. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, emphasized that Iran's cooperation with the IAEA "in terms of safeguards, the Additional Protocol, and the JCPOA will not change, and Iran will fulfill all necessary commitments and cooperation." He reiterated that Iran's intention is not to produce a nuclear bomb. However, in response to this trend, Yisrael Katz stated in an interview with the local radio station in Tel Aviv that "Iran's intensified uranium enrichment can only have one goal; the production of a nuclear bomb, and the West's response to Iran must be clear," adding that "Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, and uranium enrichment is an excuse for war." The Israeli Minister of Intelligence spoke of "an excuse for war" and "forming a military coalition against Iran" while Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is also on a European tour aimed at convincing European leaders to withdraw from the JCPOA and garnering their support for Israel's policies and attacks on Iranian military targets in Syria. After his meeting on Monday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Netanyahu also arrived in Paris on Tuesday, June 15, to discuss with French President Emmanuel Macron and celebrate the 70th anniversary of France-Israel relations. The Israeli Prime Minister, pleased with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, is lobbying for similar actions from the three European powers. Ahead of Netanyahu's trip to Europe, the Israeli government provided European powers with parts of "Iran's nuclear program documents" that were "obtained by Israel" three months ago. The Times of London, whose reporter has seen these documents, published a letter from among the Iranian confidential papers that is an agreement in Persian between the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization during the presidency of Reza Aghazadeh and the Iranian Ministry of Defense during the tenure of Ali Shamkhani. This document states that uranium enrichment activities above 90% are assigned to the Ministry of Defense, which strengthens the likelihood of the militarization of Iran's nuclear program. Israel insists that this letter and "over half a ton of Iran's confidential nuclear documents" prove that Iran's goal, "contrary to systematic lies," is to produce a nuclear bomb and that the JCPOA was "prepared based on the lies of Iran's leaders." However, Iran claims that Israel, with its hundreds of nuclear bombs and "history of lying," continues to pursue the "Iranophobia" project worldwide, especially among European powers.