‘Right to self-defense’: Netanyahu threatens Iran
Saeed Azimi
Staff Writer
In a not-so-surprising reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly criticized the remarks made by Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in Vienna on Saturday.
Grossi told the press upon his return from Tehran where he reached “concrete” agreements with Iranian officials that “any military attack on a nuclear facility is outlawed, is out of the normative structures that we all abide by.”
Enraged by the constructive and significant deals between Iran and the agency, Netanyahu branded Grossi as a “worthy person who made an unworthy remark”.
“Outside of what law? Is Iran — which publicly calls for our destruction — to protect its weapons of destruction that will slaughter us?” he questioned.
The embattled premier did not stop there, warning that Israel is entitled to defend itself and that nothing will stop it.
There are several issues worth mentioning in Netanyahu’s direct threat against Iran. First of all, Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog arrived at agreements that could pave the way for resolving long-running Safeguards disputes. Obviously, the agreements would incense those who do not want the relations between Iran and the IAEA to improve.
Secondly, Bibi Netanyahu is posing a direct threat against a sovereign nation, which is a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter. It is time for international organizations, especially the UN Security Council, to put an end to Israel’s extremism and threats against an independent country. While Tel Aviv is responsible for assassinating several Iranian nuclear scientists and sabotaging its nuclear sites, international organizations have scarcely condemned such barbaric acts. Grossi has taken a fair, balanced, and logical position, while Netanyahu is slaughtering the world’s top nuclear official.
Thirdly, Netanyahu has taken it upon himself to ridicule a UN official by calling Grossi’s remarks “unworthy”. There would be a lot to discuss if the UN does not take a stand against such mockeries.
Another issue worth noting is that Israel, which is not an IAEA member, possesses hundreds of nuclear warheads and is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is threatening Iran.
Israel has made countless accusations against Iran’s nuclear program – a program that the IAEA has verified as peaceful time and again. Yet, no international organization dares to inspect Israel’s nuclear activities. Sheer hypocrisy. It is high time Netanyahu learned a lesson.