Israeli President To World: “Stop Iran’s Drive To Acquire Nuclear Bomb” – OpEd
By Jim Kouri
President Shimon Peres of Israel appeared on Cable Network News (CNN) to urge the international community to put a stop to Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weaponry.
Peres reiterated the message of previous Israeli leaders saying that the international community must stop bickering and unite in their efforts to impose “tighter economic sanctions (and) closer political pressure” on the Iranian leaderhip in Tehran.
In is latest report released last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that Iran’s nuclear program is a real threat to peace and that there exists “credible” evidence showing that Iran has engaged in projects and experiments geared towards the development of nuclear weapons.
Tehran has scoffed at the IAEA report and categorically denied that Iran had nuclear weapon programs. Iranian officials labeled the IAEA report as being “imbalanced, non-professional and politically-motivated.”
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran a clear and present danger to the Jewish people and the Western World and has repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
“The Islamic Republic is the only country that threatens to destroy another country, openly,” President Peres said, referring to Iranian leaders such as President Ahmadinejad’s previous threats to attack and destroy Israel.
“Anybody who takes up the idea of an attack on Iran, should get ready to receive a strong slap and an iron fist by the Iranian armed forces,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated last Thursday.
But officials from several nations — including Germany, France and Turkey — warned Israel about suspected military action against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Speaking at a meeting of European Union (EU) ministers in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that any military action against Iran would topple the world into an ” uncontrollable spiral.”
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz on Tuesday said that the army would have to “aggressively” enter the Gaza Strip “for a limited period of time,” in order to put a stop to a rise in attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Speaking at a briefing to the Foreign Affairs and Defense subcommittee, Gantz said that “As a result of the increase in hostilities in the south, and in light of the attacks on residents and interruptions in their daily life, the IDF will have to mount a significant, aggressive operation,” according to Israel Radio.
