Israel Matzav

Meridor: Iran refraining from building nuclear weapon because it fears world reaction

In an interview with Israel's Channel 2 on Saturday night, Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor, the most dovish member of Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet, claimed that Iran has refrained from building a nuclear weapon until now because it fears world reaction.

Speaking on Channel 2 television's Meet the Press, Meridor said: "The Iranians are not breaking through toward [nuclear] weapons because they are afraid of the international campaign that [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu is leading."

In reference to U.S. President Barack Obama's statement that the U.S. would not be content with containing the Iranian nuclear weapon threat, Meridor said: "If I were [Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah] Khamenei, I'd be worried by that statement."

"We have not achieved the goal of stopping the Iranian program," he admitted, "but the pressure continues."

"Sanctions have not done what they were supposed to but they did prevent the surge forward [by Iran]," he opined. "The Iranians are afraid of the possibility that there will be a grave reaction by the world – sanctions and war."

No.... Iran has refrained from building a nuclear weapon because they haven't succeeded in moving everything underground yet. But at the rate they are going they should be there in another three months.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Dan Meridor, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:35 AM