Austrian Leader Says Iranian Nuclear Breach Unacceptable

Former chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz said that his country will not accept Iran’s breach of the nuclear accord, during a brief visit to Yerushalyim where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.

An official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office recorded only an exchange of pleasantries between the two, alluding only to a discussion of “challenges in the region,” but Kurz opened up about Iran in a meeting with reporters shortly after leaving Netanyahu, according to The Times of Israel.

“I am very concerned about Iran’s statement to want to enrich more uranium. That is in clear contradiction to the Vienna Agreement,” he said.

“This is something that we must not accept. This is not only an issue for Israel, but also a security issue for us in Europe. We will act united and determinedly.”

Later, in a tweet, Kurz described his meeting with Netanyahu as “productive,” and added that besides Iran they discussed “border management measures [and] the prevention of illegal migration.”

The tweet was headlined: “The Iranian threats against Israel are absolutely unacceptable.” A photo of Kurz with Netanyahu accompanied the message.

Kurz’s government fell earlier this year in a no-confidence vote, but he is generally favored to win new elections in September, which may have also given him something to talk about with Netanyahu.