No evidence of nuclear threat from Iran – ex-UK ambassador
There's no evidence that Iran poses a nuclear threat to Israel, former UK Ambassador to Iran Richard Dalton has said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons shortly after Israel launched air strikes on Iranian territory last week.
Speaking to Sky News last week, Dalton said, 'There is no evidence in the public domain' that Iran was on the brink of nuclear weaponization. He noted that US intelligence shows 'no change in the basic assessment' that Tehran has decided 'to develop nuclear weapons in accordance with their own defense doctrine, which is to eschew weapons of mass destruction.'
'So, we are entitled to disbelieve Netanyahu's claims that there was some recent change in Iranian policy and behavior until evidence is put in the public domain,' Dalton said.
Israel began bombing Iran last Friday, claiming that the country was nearing the completion of a nuclear bomb. Iran denied the accusations and responded to the Israeli military operation with waves of drone and missile strikes on the Jewish state.
According to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group, the Israeli assault has so far killed 585 people, including 239 civilians, and wounded more than 1,300. Israel's Government Press Office reported on Wednesday that Iran's retaliatory missile attacks claimed the lives of 24 people, with 804 injured. It added that around 3,800 people have been evacuated from various areas due to ongoing tensions.
In 2015, Tehran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an international accord with the US and European powers that limited uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal, reimposing all sanctions and prompting Iran to gradually move away from its own commitments. Since then, the Iranian authorities have granted foreign inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency only limited access to its nuclear facilities.
The Islamic Republic currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, far above the 3.67% cap set under the now-defunct agreement.
Russia has condemned Israel's airstrikes and called for deescalation, warning that strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure could trigger a 'nuclear catastrophe.' In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Israel's attacks on peaceful atomic sites violate international law and threaten global stability.
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