Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected claims he “dragged” the United States into war with Iran, calling the accusations “fake news” and stressing that US President Donald Trump acts independently.
Speaking to media on Thursday (19 March), Netanyahu said Washington required no persuasion on the risks posed by Iran’s nuclear programme.
His remarks followed Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field. Asked about the strike, Netanyahu said Israel had acted alone. “President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks,” he said.
Netanyahu added, “Iran today does not have the ability to enrich uranium and no possibility to produce missiles.”
However, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, told CBS News on Thursday that “a lot has survived” of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.
“They have the capabilities, they have the knowledge, they have the industrial ability to do that,” Grossi said, highlighting ongoing concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Nearly three weeks into the war, Netanyahu said, “It’s up to the Iranian people to show that, to choose the moment and to rise to the moment,” he said.
He added that overthrowing the Iranian government would not be possible through air strikes alone, indicating the potential need for ground operations.
“There has to be a ground component as well. There are many possibilities for this ground component, and I take the liberty of not sharing with you all those possibilities,” Netanyahu said.
ℹ️ Israeli PM, Reuters
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