Israel Ready to Act Alone to Prevent Nuclear Iran, Foreign Minister Says

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israel is ready to act alone to prevent the revival of Iran's nuclear programme, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Monday as Vienna talks proceeded.

"Israel's main foreign policy and security issue are to prevent the Iranian nuclear program. In recent months we have had an intensive dialogue with all the countries involved in these negotiations, and first of all with the US, but not only. I have also been to Moscow, Paris and London and Washington. We have told everyone clearly that Israel will not let Iran become a nuclear threshold state. Of course, we prefer to act in international cooperation, but if necessary we will act alone for our security", Lapid said.

The eighth round of talks on the return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions (JCPOA) began earlier in the day at Vienna's Palais Coburg hotel. Israel is expecting an agreement that allows monitoring of the Iranian nuclear programme.

In this Dec. 29, 2016 file photo, an Israeli Air Force F-35 plane performs during a graduation ceremony for new pilots in the Hatzerim Air Force Base near Beersheba

© AP Photo / Ariel Schalit

The seventh round of Vienna talks on bringing Iran back to the nuclear deal and lifting US sanctions was held from 29 November to 17 December. The sides agreed on two drafts of the deal, which included provisions covering Iranian interests.

In 2018, the United States withdrew from the JCPOA, which had been signed between Iran, the P5+1 and the European Union in 2015. Thereafter, the US enacted hardline policies against Iran, prompting the latter to largely abandon its own obligations.