Israeli Minister: We Will Not Hesitate to Take Any Action to Prevent Nuclear Agreement

The Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs stated that the country "will take any necessary action to prevent Iran and world powers from reaching a nuclear agreement." This is the first time a senior Israeli official has openly discussed the use of all means to prevent Iran and the powers from achieving a nuclear agreement. Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs, claimed in an interview with Israel Radio on Thursday, April 2, that Israel could independently carry out a military option (attacking Iran's nuclear sites) if necessary. This minister's stance comes as nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers continue in Lausanne, Switzerland, two days after the final deadline for discussions, with hopes of reaching an agreement or a political understanding. On the other hand, Moshe Ya'alon, the Israeli Defense Minister, assessed that no nuclear agreement would emerge from the Lausanne negotiations. Meanwhile, according to the Jerusalem Post, Ya'alon added that the Swiss negotiations "will not fail either." According to news agencies, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated on Wednesday that a "better agreement" must be reached that "weakens Iran's nuclear infrastructure," as he claimed that "Iran could still have a nuclear bomb a year later if it chooses to do so." Netanyahu referred to recent statements by Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of Iran's Basij forces, saying, "The Lausanne negotiations continue while we witness Iran's aggressive nature." Naqdi had stated on Tuesday, April 1, the day that was supposed to be the final deadline for the nuclear talks, that "the destruction of Israel is not negotiable." According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu said during a meeting with John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. Congress who visited Jerusalem, that the Lausanne negotiations are taking place in an atmosphere where "Iran's terrorist interventions in the region, especially in Yemen, continue and threaten moderate Arab governments." According to Israeli media, Boehner's visit had been planned long before and was not related to the recent election results in Israel, where Netanyahu and the Likud party won. Last month, Netanyahu traveled to Washington at Boehner's invitation to speak in Congress; this invitation and speech occurred amid deep discontent from the White House. Boehner has supported his invitation to Netanyahu, stating that the "hostility" of the White House towards the Israeli Prime Minister is evident. Netanyahu has said that given the good and close relations of the Israeli government with the majority of Congress members, he "expects" Congress to prevent Iran and world powers from reaching a "bad agreement."