BICOM

Following diplomatic progress to disarm Syria of its chemical stockpile, two senior Israeli leaders yesterday stressed that the West must underscore diplomatic attempts to stymie Iran’s nuclear development with a credible and concrete military threat.

After US President Obama said in a weekend interview that Tehran “shouldn’t draw a lesson “from Syria “to think we won’t strike Iran,” Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon yesterday emphasised the importance of a Western military option to tackle Iran. He told staff at Israel’s Defence Ministry that “the world must display clear and uncompromising determination toward the extremist regime in Tehran and its advancing program to develop a military nuclear weapon.” In this regard he said that recent attempts to tackle Syria’s chemical capability, “is proof to the countries of the free world that a significant and credible military threat… deters dangerous rogue regimes and is able to advance a diplomatic solution.”

Echoing similar sentiments in an interview with the Financial Times, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz said that “We learnt something with what happened in Syria right now,” explaining that the West should send Tehran a message that “We are going to attack you unless you give up your nuclear weapons programme.” Steinitz said that American pressure on Iran needs to be “more credible and more concrete, with some timetable, some time limits.” Otherwise, he warned, Iran’s new President Hassan Rowhani will “smile his way to the bomb.”

Meanwhile, German daily Der Spiegel reports that Rowhani is willing to shut down activity at the secretive Fordow nuclear plant on condition that international sanctions against Iran are lifted. The report suggests that Iran’s Foreign Minister may outline the deal at a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton next week and that Rowhani could offer further details at the United Nations General Assembly later this month.