New Delhi: Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar has praised the United States for joining its efforts in curtailing Iran’s evil nuclear ambitions and said that it will open a new opportunity for the West Asian nation to come back to the negotiating table, ‘in good faith’.
US forces on Sunday rained bombs on three underground facilities of Iran — Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz — believed to be its key nuclear facilities for uranium enrichment.
Below is the full interview:
IANS: What is the reality behind Iran’s claim that its nuclear sites were undamaged and that the enriched uranium had already been moved, prior to US strikes?
Reuven Azarm: Well, I think that the Iranians are trying to downplay the strikes that they have undergone. The Israeli and American strikes have been pretty accurate. This has been a historic move by the President of the United States. This is an important moment… which rogue states are developing illegal programs of weapons of mass destruction, are paying the price for decades of refusing to cooperate with the international community.
And, this downplaying is not really going to change the fact that the Iranian program was taken back by several years.
Even if Iran removed enriched uranium, it won’t have much to do with it because we have destroyed the facilities that enriched uranium. We have destroyed the conversion site in Isfahan that is needed to turn this enriched uranium into a weapon. And, therefore, despite the fact that they still have enriched uranium, I think it’s going to only endanger them.
They should get rid of that uranium and send it outside the country. It’s very important that Iran gets back to compliance, and if they refuse, they will be subjected to further strikes either from Israel or the United States.
IANS: Could ground troops enter Iran if it refuses to concede?
Reuven Azarm: I am not aware of operation plans, at this point, neither from Israel nor the United States. I think it is very clear that a strong message has been delivered. It is clear that their nuclear facilities and the capabilities to build ballistic missiles have been significantly degraded.
Any attempt to renew that kind of operation will open the gates for additional action on our part.
IANS: What role is Pakistan playing in the situation? Could Pakistan be supplying nuclear assistance to Iran?
Reuven Azarm: I’m not aware of such assistance at this point.
IANS: Do you foresee any possibility of a World War?
Reuven Azarm: I don’t think so. I think that we acted with responsibility here. Israel took a very limited targeted action against a plan of extermination of our state by Iran. This plan of extermination had two massive programs to develop weapons of mass destruction – one was to create a nuclear arm, we neutralised that, and the second was to build thousands and thousands of ballistic missiles, more accurately 20,000 ballistic missiles within six years.
The American strike complemented the Israeli effort, and I think that we now have a window of opportunity for Iran to climb down, get back into negotiations with good faith, stop trying to cheat the international community and deceive it like it was doing during negotiations in the past, including the last 60 days.
There is a chance for peace if the Iranians back down from their heinous plans.
IANS: Iran’s representative argues that Pakistan will help them in nuclear strikes. Could this be possible?
Reuven Azarm: I don’t know. I am not aware whether Pakistan is intending to help Iran in any way.
IANS: What is the current situation in Gaza? Is there any permanent Israeli control of Gaza likely, or is another solution?
Reuven Azarm: Israel has managed to rescue three additional Israeli citizens who were murdered by Hamas on October 7. We are continuing our efforts. We have been able to bring back more than 200 hostages. We are still left with 50. Out of them, about 20 are alive. We are isolating and degrading Hamas.
We have taken over the humanitarian and assistance distribution so that Hamas can no longer monopolise the aid and continue its grip on the population. And this is bearing results. We are getting the Palestinian population to cooperate with us increasingly. We are working with local forces that are against Hamas. And, as we continue this campaign, Hamas will be isolated more and more until it is taken out of the Gaza Strip.
This war is not going to end before Hamas renounces power in the Gaza Strip.
IANS: Did Pakistan help the USA as a launchpad to attack Iran? What do you think?
Reuven Azarm: I’m not aware of such a thing.
IANS: Indian politician Sonia Gandhi has written an article in a newspaper supporting Iran. What is your opinion?
Reuven Azarm: I think politicians should be informed. We were disappointed to see that the person you mentioned hasn’t condemned the series of October attacks in the way that they should be condemned. I think that ignoring three decades of Iranian aggression in the region is something that is completely unacceptable.
People are entitled to have their opinion, but we should look more into the reality and the facts that everybody understands that Iran is the aggressor here. Israel had no choice but to act at a moment when Iran was going to acquire the weapons to destroy us. And I’m happy that our government made that decision.
IANS: PM Modi spoke with the President of Iran. He discussed the current situation and expressed deep concern at the recent escalation, reiterated the call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability. What do you think?
Reuven Azar: We can certainly go back to diplomacy if Iran commits to refrain from trying to annihilate other states, if Iran commits to dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and commits to stop its aggression in the region. There is certainly room for diplomacy. I hope that Iran changes course and adopts a more responsible approach that will allow the restoration of stability and peace.
IANS: Is Israel pursuing a regime change mission in Iran?
Reuven Azarm: No, the Israeli government has signalled that it has adopted a decision to deal with the removal of threats of extermination that are coming from Iran. That’s the nuclear program, the military nuclear program, and the ballistic missile program, and that is what we are focusing on.
IANS: Is Israel close to eliminating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
Reuven Azarm: We are not discarding any option, but at this point, we are going to do whatever it takes in order to remove these threats, and we have gone to great lengths so far.
In doing that, we have more military targets than we could target, but we hope that Iran will stop its aggression. And if it does, diplomacy can have a chance.
(IANS)
