Netanyahu: Iran Must End Nuclear Program Even if Diplomacy Succeeds
By The Media Line Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s objective in confronting Iran is to ensure the country can never obtain nuclear weapons, declaring that Tehran’s nuclear program must be eliminated regardless of whether the issue is resolved through military pressure or diplomacy.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said the Iranian regime will ultimately have to abandon its current course, either because it is overthrown or because it is weakened to the point that it has no choice but to give up its nuclear ambitions.
“I think when this regime is either toppled, or it’s sufficiently weakened that it knows it has to end its nuclear program and has to change its course,” he said, adding that this is “really what President Trump is trying to achieve.”
Netanyahu said the outcome Israel is seeking cannot depend on the success of negotiations.
“One way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program. And with a deal or without a deal, that has to come to an end,” he said.
The prime minister said recent Israeli and US operations had pushed Iran’s nuclear program back by “a good few years,” pointing to strikes on nuclear facilities and the elimination of “20 leading nuclear scientists.”
He cautioned, however, that Tehran could still attempt to restore those capabilities, adding that Israeli and American intelligence agencies remain in close coordination ahead of his upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu also warned Iran against carrying out another attack on Israel.
“If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies … our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful,” he said.
He argued that Israel’s military campaign has also altered the strategic landscape beyond Iran. In Lebanon, Netanyahu said Hezbollah has lost roughly 94% of its rockets and missiles and that Israel is working with the United States and Lebanon to push the terrorist organization away from the border and disarm it.
“I think it’s, on the whole, a positive development, and may lead to another peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country,” he said.
Netanyahu also voiced support for President Trump’s reported position that normalization with Saudi Arabia should be conditioned on any Saudi nuclear program remaining civilian. He said Israel is also holding contacts with several Arab countries and expressed hope that additional states could join the Abraham Accords if Iran is further weakened.
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