Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated in a CNN interview released on Saturday that Iran is approaching a point where it could become unstoppable in producing a nuclear weapon within less than a year.
In an advance transcript from the Fareed Zakaria GPS program on CNN airing Sunday, Barak mentioned that Israel is concentrating on the implications of a nuclear Iran and the necessary actions to be taken promptly.
‘It’s true that it won’t take three years, probably three quarters before no one can do anything practically about it because the Iranians are gradually, deliberately entering into what I call a zone of immunity, by widening the redundancy of their plan, making it spread over many more sites with many more hidden elements,’ he stated.
The former Israeli prime minister remarked that a recent U.N. nuclear watchdog report indicated Tehran appeared to have been developing an atomic bomb and might still be carrying out covert research, which has alarmed world leaders and intensified diplomatic efforts.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report reaffirmed long-held concerns that Iran’s intentions include building a nuclear weapon, viewed as an existential threat by Israel. Meanwhile, Tehran asserts that its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes.
According to Reuters, both the United States and Israel have not dismissed potential air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
When queried about Israel’s readiness to launch an attack on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, Barak responded, ‘I don’t think that that is a subject for public discussion.’
He warned that the emergence of a nuclear Iran would have significant consequences for the Middle East, potentially leading countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt to pursue nuclear capabilities and endangering nuclear materials falling into terrorist hands.
Barak refrained from discussing widespread speculation regarding an explosion at an Iranian military base last week, which resulted in the deaths of 17 troops, including an officer deemed responsible for Iran’s missile defense systems, possibly being linked to Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.
‘No. I don’t know anything that I can contribute to this conversation,’ he remarked.
Iran claimed the explosion occurred during weapon research aimed at striking Israel but has rejected any assertions of sabotage by Israel or the United States.
by Mike Hansom
