Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi affirmed that Israel will not allow Iran to control capabilities for obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Israeli government's Arabic page, "Israel in Arabic," reported on Wednesday that Ashkenazi warned that Iran is engaging in what he described as "deceit and camouflage" in order to produce nuclear weapons. Ashkenazi explained that by reducing the work of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, Iran aims to acquire capabilities that enable it to produce a nuclear bomb. He stated that "Iran is currently working on dismantling what remains of the IAEA's oversight."
The page mentioned Ashkenazi's comments regarding Iran's ongoing storage of enriched uranium and its deceitful behavior in pursuit of a nuclear weapon, saying, "We will never allow Iran to control capabilities for acquiring a nuclear weapon."
On Tuesday, Iran halted operations under the additional protocol of the nuclear agreement, which allows the IAEA to conduct surprise inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities, in accordance with a law passed by the Iranian parliament last year.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi announced two days ago that a temporary agreement had been reached with Iran to continue inspection activities at Iranian nuclear facilities for three months. Grossi stated, "We agreed with Iran that the agency will continue the necessary verification and monitoring activities for up to three months," indicating that "the agreement with Iran limits the access of agency inspectors to Iranian nuclear facilities."
In a related context, the United States called on Iran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA regarding undeclared nuclear materials, while Tehran decided to cease operations under the additional protocol of the nuclear agreement.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price noted in a press conference today that the IAEA is continuing to investigate several serious issues related to potential undeclared nuclear materials in Iran. Price emphasized the necessity for Iran to cooperate with the agency to resolve these issues without any delay.
France, Britain, and Germany expressed their regret in a joint statement regarding Iran's decision to limit international inspections, urging Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA.
