BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that international pressure is the only way to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.  

His comments came after Iran’s new President, Hassan Rowhani, who was sworn in on Sunday spoke to the media for the first time yesterday. He said Iran “is determined to resolve this issue,” over its nuclear ambitions, so long as the United States displays “goodwill.” Rowhani added, “We are determined and ready to enter serious and substantive negotiations with the other side.” However, he criticised the approval of further sanctions on Iran’s oil industry last week by the US House of Representatives and in a thinly veiled reference to Israel claimed that such decisions were in “the interests of a foreign country… even US interests are not being considered.” Rowhani insisted that a solution could be reached “solely through talks not threats.” However, several rounds of talks between the so-called P5+1 forum (United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) and Iran have failed to make any real progress.

Speaking to a delegation of thirty-six US Congressmen in Jerusalem yesterday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuted Rowhani’s suggestion that only talks could resolve the impasse. He said, “Iran’s president said that pressure won’t work. Not true! The only thing that has worked in the last two decades is pressure.” He added, “And the only thing that will work now is increased pressure. I have said that before and I’ll say it again, because that’s important to understand. You relent on the pressure, they will go all the way.”

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that although Rowhani’s election provided an opportunity to resolve international concerns, “there are steps they [Iran] need to take to meet their international obligations… and the ball is in their court.” She added “we want to see credible steps taken” by Iran to prove its intentions.