Tel Aviv (TDI): Israel’s foreign minister claimed Saturday that his country’s military campaign against Iran has already delayed Tehran’s nuclear program by at least two to three years, as tensions continue to rise across the region.
The comments from Foreign Minister Gideon Saar come as Israeli jets carried out new airstrikes on missile depots and launch facilities inside Iran. The latest raids form part of a broader Israeli offensive that began last week, aimed according to Israeli officials, at halting Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. Iran, for its part, maintains its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
“We believe we’ve already set them back by at least a couple of years,” Saar said in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper. “The operations will continue. We are committed to eliminating this threat, by all means available to us.”
The remarks were made just a day after US President Donald Trump warned that Iran has “no more than two weeks” to avoid potential American military action. Trump is reportedly weighing the option of joining the Israeli offensive, though he hasn’t yet made a final decision.
Speaking to reporters, Trump indicated he wasn’t likely to pressure Israel into halting the strikes in order to restart diplomacy. “If somebody’s winning, it’s a little bit harder to do,” he said, referring to Israel’s momentum in the conflict.
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Diplomatic efforts from Europe, meanwhile, are continuing. On Friday, senior diplomats from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva. Their goal is to convince Tehran to return to stalled nuclear talks with the United States.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the group urged Iran to resume negotiations “with all parties, including Washington,” regardless of the ongoing strikes. However, Araghchi appeared unmoved.
Read More: Iran Refuses Nuclear Talks with US Amid Israeli Attacks
“We’re not willing to talk to them while this aggression continues,” Araghchi said in an interview with NBC News after the Geneva meeting.
Trump, skeptical of Europe’s mediation, downplayed the chances of progress through that channel. “Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe,” he said. “They want to talk to us. Europe won’t be able to solve this.”
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
