Israel makes veiled threats against Iranian nuclear scientists

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon indicated on August. 7 that Israeli intelligence services may have been behind the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists.

Mr Ya’alon’s comments following a deal signed between Iran and the US, UK, China, France, Germany and Russian Federation on 14 July that promised to control Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Five Iranian scientists have died in vehicle bombings and although Israel was blamed by Iran, the country has never admitted to any involvement in the scientists’ deaths.

“The option of getting back to the negotiating table is close to zero if (US) Congress votes down the nuclear deal”, said Philipp Ackermann, Berlin’s second-ranking diplomat in Washington, Politico reported. “We prefer that this be done by means of sanctions, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself”, said Ya’alon.

The defense minister maintained that the agreement with Iran would enable it to remain a “nuclear threshold state” that would be permitted to enrich uranium within a decade.

Ya’alon further stated that Tel Aviv was considering carrying out airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, the German paper reported. They cannot allow Iran to be a nuclear power in the region without acquiring a counterweight in the form of a nuclear weapon. She also addressed the importance of more decisive Western policies to help the Iranian people establish a democratic, secular and non-nuclear Iran. That is going to be Rouhani’s first go to to a European capital by which he’ll attempt to restore Iran’s financial and diplomatic relations with the West.

“The ISIL [Daesh] and other Salafi groups sought to hit a blow to our country this way, but fortunately, they couldn’t put their plots into practice”, Baqeri said.