Netanyahu: Israel Has No Interest in War with Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, emphasized in a series of interviews with international media that he does not intend to start a war with Iran, one day after revealing key intelligence secrets about Iran's military nuclear program. In response to a question from CNN about whether Israel is prepared for war with Iran, Netanyahu stated, "No one is interested in such a development, but it is Iran that is changing the rules of the game in the region." On Monday, in front of cameras, he presented "over half a ton" of documents and CDs from Iran's clandestine nuclear program, claiming these documents prove that Iran has "shamelessly lied" and that its goal was to acquire powerful nuclear bombs and mount nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles. Netanyahu asserted that his country's intelligence agencies achieved a "stunning success" by extracting the complete archive of Iran's secret program from the country and transferring it to Israel a few weeks ago. According to Israeli and international media reports, after this press conference, Netanyahu contacted leaders from several countries, including Germany, France, the UK, and Russia, to inform them that these documents should demonstrate that Iran has "lied" since the beginning of its engagement with the international community and that the basis of the JCPOA was built on "lies." On Tuesday, Netanyahu reiterated his positions in a series of interviews with influential global media. In an interview with CNN, while emphasizing that he is not seeking war with Iran, he accused Tehran of changing the previous rules in the region through its actions and lies regarding its nuclear intentions from the start of the program. However, in this interview, the Israeli Prime Minister avoided answering whether Israel itself has military nuclear capabilities. Nevertheless, CNN reminded that Mordechai Vanunu revealed the nature of Israel's nuclear program in 1986. Vanunu, who was a low-level technician at the Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel in the early 1980s and later went abroad, was abducted by Mossad, returned to Israel, tried, and sentenced to 18 years in prison, and despite the end of his imprisonment, he still faces many restrictions on contacting the outside world. Shimon Peres, the founder of Israel's nuclear program, had stated during his lifetime that the country deliberately keeps the nature of its nuclear program ambiguous because this ambiguity increases Israel's deterrent capability. Israeli officials claim that their country has never threatened to destroy another country and "wipe it off the map," while the Islamic Republic of Iran has spoken of destroying Israel since its inception and even after the JCPOA, it has written on the bodies of its long-range missiles that "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth." Iran also showcased missiles with the inscription of Israel's destruction during its military parade on April 29 this year. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Israeli Prime Minister told Fox News that since the transfer of about 100,000 secret Iranian documents in a "bold action" by his country's intelligence agencies from Tehran to Israel, efforts to translate them by "professional translators who understand scientific and technological terms" have been ongoing, and the translation work has been in progress for the past three months. Netanyahu also informed Fox News that on March 5 of this year, during a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, he made the U.S. President aware of Israel's success in transferring these important Iranian documents to Israel, and emphasized that Israel would share this information with the U.S., which it did. Netanyahu told Fox News, "The decision regarding the JCPOA is solely up to Donald Trump, and he is the leader who knows what decision to make." The U.S. decision regarding the JCPOA is expected to be announced on May 12. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, has confirmed the authenticity of the documents obtained by Israel. However, several European countries have emphasized that Netanyahu's statements on Monday night regarding the nature of Iran's nuclear program pertain to the initial nature of this program. France emphasized on Tuesday that Netanyahu's statements have further legitimized the JCPOA. Germany has also called for further investigation into the Iranian documents obtained by Israel. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated that the JCPOA is still valid and that Iran has not attempted to test explosive triggers in its nuclear program since 2009. Iran only claims that "the Israeli Prime Minister's comedic show is invalid," but it has refrained from answering the fundamental question of which Iranian institutions and officials may have assisted Israel's significant success in obtaining the complete archive of Iran's nuclear program and transferring it from Tehran to Israel.