Jerusalem, June 12: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday reiterated his long-standing pledge to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, declaring that Tehran would never become a nuclear-armed state as long as he remains Israel’s prime minister.
In a statement posted on X, Netanyahu said he and US President Donald Trump were in complete agreement on the issue. “As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel — Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he wrote.
He added that he has spent more than 30 years leading international efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions and argued that those efforts had prevented Tehran from obtaining atomic bombs capable of threatening Israel.
“Had it not been for this campaign, Iran would long ago have had atomic bombs to destroy Israel,” Netanyahu said. He accused Iran of seeking the destruction of the Jewish state and vowed to continue dedicating his efforts to preventing that outcome.
Netanyahu’s remarks came a day after Trump announced that Iran had approved a framework agreement with the United States that would permanently bar it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said negotiations had reached the final stage and that documents were being prepared for what he described as a significant diplomatic breakthrough following weeks of conflict.
“We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this,” Trump said.
He added that the agreement could be formally signed within days, possibly during the weekend in Europe.
According to Trump, the proposed arrangement would prohibit Iran from purchasing, developing or possessing nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
He described the deal as a “very strong” and highly detailed memorandum of understanding that had also received backing from several countries involved in regional diplomacy.
The US President said he had spoken with leaders from Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait following the breakthrough. Trump also argued that military pressure had helped bring Tehran to the negotiating table.
Claiming that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened during the conflict, Trump said the country was now eager to reach an agreement.
He further suggested that a new and more pragmatic leadership group had emerged in Tehran, expressing confidence that the proposed deal would soon be finalised and formally signed, potentially marking a major step toward easing tensions in the region. (IANS)
