Steinitz Warns Iran Strike Still Option

As Washington and Tehran appear to be approaching an agreement on the latter’s nuclear program over Israeli objections, Intelligence Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz warned on Thursday that military intervention remains an option.

“I won’t be too specific but all options are still on the table,” Steinitz told reporters.

“We never limited Israel’s right of self-defense because of some diplomatic constraints,” he added.

Steinitz said the agreement with Iran that is emerging is “full of loopholes.”

The minister pointed out that Iran has so far yielded little on key issues such as uranium enrichment, destruction of related infrastructure and the fate of its Arak nuclear reactor and Fordo secret underground enrichment facility.

“Its a gloomy picture,” said Steinitz, adding that he discussed it at last week’s security conference in Munich with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano.

“The Iranians didn’t move much … therefore we are so disturbed,” he said.

If there is an agreement reached by the end of March, he warned, it will be an agreement that does not include many concessions on the Iranian side.

“If this is the picture, how much can it change in one month?”

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the February 13th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.