Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday of failing to monitor Iran's nuclear activities, indicating that the UN agency risks becoming politicized and thereby losing its significance. Netanyahu stated during a meeting of the Israeli cabinet, "Iran continues to deceive the IAEA. The agency's capitulation to Iranian pressure is a stain on its record." He added, "If the IAEA becomes a political organization, its oversight activities in Iran and its reports on Iranian nuclear activity will be meaningless."
Netanyahu pointed out that "Iran's excuses regarding the discovery of nuclear materials at prohibited sites are not only unreliable but also technically impossible." A senior diplomat in Vienna noted that "these particles could be explained by the presence of a laboratory and a mine dating back to the Soviet era," stating that the IAEA has no further questions. In an interview with Reuters, he mentioned that "the IAEA's assessment is still based on the fact that Iran conducted explosive experiments there decades ago that were related to nuclear weapons."
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz stated, "If we reach a decision point where the choices are either Iran possessing a bomb or us taking action, our decision will be to take action." Katz, a member of the Israeli security cabinet, added, "We are taking all preparations at this very moment."
