Netanyahu says Israel close to meeting its goals in Iran
Israel is very close to completing its goal of removing the dual threats of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programme, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
He promised not to let Israel be dragged into a war of attrition but also said he would not end the Iran campaign prematurely.
"We won't pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won't finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop," he told Israeli reporters.
"I have no doubt that this is a regime that wants to wipe us out, and that's why we embarked on this operation to eliminate the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile threat. We are moving step by step towards achieving these goals. We are very, very close to completing them," he said.
He said Iran's Fordow nuclear site had been very badly damaged by U.S. bunker-buster bombs overnight but the extent of damage remained to be seen. Tehran has vowed to defend itself at all costs.
Asked about the whereabouts of Iran's 60% enriched uranium, Netanyahu said: "We've been following that very closely. I can tell you that it's an important component of a nuclear programme.
"It's not the sole component. It's not a sufficient component. But it is an important component and we have interesting intel on that, which you will excuse me if I don't share with you," he said.
At least until Israel's first strikes against its enrichment installations on June 13, Iran was refining uranium to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% that is bomb-grade and far higher than the 3.67% cap imposed by a 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran respected until the year after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
10 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US issues ‘worldwide caution' for Americans over Middle East conflict
The Islamic Republic on June 22 threatened US bases in the Middle East and warned that US forces could be attacked in retaliation. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Follow our live coverage here. WASHINGTON - The US State Department issued a 'worldwide caution' for Americans on June 22, saying the conflict in the Middle East could put those travelling or living abroad at an increased security risk. 'The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of air space across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,' the State Department's security alert said. 'The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.' The statement made no mention of the United States intervening in the conflict overnight when American planes bombed nuclear facilities in Iran, a move that Tehran said would have 'irreparable consequences'. The Islamic Republic on June 22 threatened US bases in the Middle East and warned that US forces could be attacked in retaliation for the unprecedented air strikes that the Pentagon said devastated Iran's nuclear programme. 'Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,' Mr Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency. The United States on June 21 began evacuation flights from Israel for American citizens and permanent US residents living in Israel or the West Bank. It also ordered staff at its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave those countries. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Australia says it supports US strike, calls for return to diplomacy
FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia Penny Wong addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2024. REUTERS/Kent J. Edwards/File Photo Australia says it supports US strike, calls for return to diplomacy SYDNEY - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Monday that Canberra supported the United States strike on Iran and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. "We support action that the U.S. has taken to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," Wong said in a television interview with Seven Sunrise. In a series of television and radio interviews on Monday, Wong said the strike was a unilateral action by its security ally the United States, and Australia was joining calls from Britain and other countries for Iran to return to the negotiating table. "We do not want to see escalation," she told reporters in Canberra. There are around 2,900 Australians in Iran and 1,300 in Iraq who are seeking to leave. Australia closed its embassy in Tehran on Friday, after Wong spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Australia has suspended bus evacuations from Israel after the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but is making preparations for potential evacuations if air space in Israel re-opens, Wong said. Australia said it has sent two defence planes to the Middle East in non-combat roles to assist civilian evacuations. New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Sunday he was examining the evidence surrounding Iran's nuclear enrichment programme, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called for a return to dialogue, Radio New Zealand reported. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia may be ‘a friend' of Iran, but Moscow seems unlikely to offer Tehran much help
There's little sign that Russia will provide military aid to Iran as it prioritises the Ukraine war. PHOTO: REUTERS Russia may be 'a friend' of Iran, but Moscow seems unlikely to offer Tehran much help Follow our live coverage here. The Iranian foreign minister said on June 22 that he was heading to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on June 23, as Iran weighed a response to a wave of US strikes on its nuclear sites. There was little sign that Russia was prepared to provide military assistance to Iran, its closest remaining Middle East ally, as it prioritised its own war against Ukraine. Iran has not received concrete support from any allies through 10 days of war with Israel. In announcing the trip to Moscow, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Russia 'a friend of Iran' and said that the two countries 'enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions'. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the American military intervention in Iran, saying it had undermined global efforts to contain the proliferation of nuclear weapons. But the Kremlin has not publicly commented on the attacks, and it has not announced any tangible steps to help Iran. The guarded reaction reflects Mr Putin's limited resources, with Russia in its fourth year of war in Ukraine. Russia is trying to maintain warm relations with Iran's Middle Eastern rivals, including Saudi Arabia. The Kremlin is also likely to tread carefully on issues that may alienate US President Donald Trump, whose support – or, at least, acquiescence – it needs to secure a peace deal in Ukraine on its own terms. In addition, Russia has benefited from a rise in oil prices caused by the growing unrest in the Middle East. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
