Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an extraordinary address yesterday to his nation regarding the status of Iran’s nuclear program. Not only was Netanyahu speaking about the existential threat confronting Israel, his remarks come at a time when war (whether from Syria or Gaza) could break out at any minute.



Just as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have come to Washington to convince President Trump to remain in the nuclear deal, there was a sense that Netanyahu’s audience was not only the Israeli people but also President Trump.


Here is our quick analysis of the prime minister’s remarks:

• Israel has obtained hard proof of Iran’s clandestine nuclear program known as “Project Amad.” Israel has 100,000 files and 183 CDs from Iran’s nuclear archive.

• Project Amad set out to “design, produce and test … five warheads, each with a 10 kiloton TNT yield, for integration on a missile. That is like five Hiroshima bombs to be put on ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu said.

• Iran suspended Project Amad in 2003 but preserved and redirected much of the research for later use under the leadership of the same scientific team.

• The 2015 nuclear deal required Iran to “come clean” on its past nuclear weaponization efforts.

• Iran claimed it never had a nuclear weapons program. Iranian leaders have repeatedly said Iran does not want to develop nuclear weapons.

“These files conclusively prove that Iran is brazenly lying,” Netanyahu declared, adding that the 2015 nuclear deal is based on Iranian lies and deception.


 
A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to both America and to Israel. And, if they would only open their eyes, it is a threat to European nations as well.


On May 12th, President Trump faces a decision to either stay in the nuclear deal and waive certain sanctions or leave the deal and allow some sanctions to be reimposed. There would still be a narrow window of time to fix the Iranian nuclear deal before the most serious sanctions are reimposed in mid-July.


Yesterday’s presentation by Prime Minister Netanyahu provides additional justification to President Trump if he decides to leave the deal. It also may increase the pressure on the administration to abandon the deal.



Meanwhile, the Iranians are doing nothing to alleviate the West’s concerns. Iran’s leaders have repeatedly threatened to annihilate Israel in recent days.

Yesterday, Iran’s top nuclear official warned, “Iran is not bluffing… Technically, we are fully prepared to enrich uranium higher than we used to produce before the deal was reached…”


Netanyahu’s dramatic address yesterday comes after a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and after reports of a new strike against Iranian forces in Syria. Secretary Pompeo told reporters in Tel Aviv: “We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran’s ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight, and we strongly support Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself.”


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