Haaretz
Kislev 24, 5767
Iran said on
Friday that a remark by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, interpreted by some as
an admission that Israel has nuclear weapons, was a sign of Israel's
weakness.
"Their prime minister has announced they have got nuclear
arms," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters on a
visit to the Kazakh capital Astana. "It does not show their strength. It
shows their weakness. They are afraid."
"The international
community should react to this in an appropriate way," he said. Iran on
Wednesday called for United Nations Security Council action against
Israel.
In a German TV interview aired Monday, Olmert said: "Iran,
openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can
you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have
nuclear
weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"
Olmert
aides said the remarks did not constitute an admission that Israel had
atomic weapons.
The comments generated a storm of controversy in
Israel and abroad, with leading opposition lawmakers in Israel accusing
Olmert of undermining Israel's campaign to curb Iran's atomic
ambitions.
Independent analysts believe Israel has built between 80
and 200 nuclear warheads since the late 1960s. Israel refuses to discuss
the matter, under an "ambiguity" policy aimed both at deterring regional
foes and avoiding an arms race.
Meanwhile, Mottaki also said Friday
that any United Nations Security Council resolution to pressure Iran over
its nuclear program would be illegal, news reports said.
"The
referral of our dossier to the U.N. Security Council is an illegal
political move," Mottaki was quoted as saying by the Russian Interfax
news agency in Astana.
The Security Council could vote next week on
whether to impose sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt uranium
enrichment, a process that can create fuel for power generation or the
fissile core of nuclear warheads.
Mottaki said Iran is continuing
its uranium enrichment program under the
observation of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
"You know that our [nuclear]
facilities are regularly visited by IAEA
inspectors," he was quoted as
saying.
Iran says its program is intended only to generate power,
but the U.S., its European allies and Israel fear Iran is seeking to
develop nuclear weapons.