NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) —
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday Israel will "stand alone" if necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.
In address at the United Nations, Netanyahu said he is "prepared to make a historic compromise for genuine and enduring peace" but he said Israel "will never acquiesce" to allowing Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. He said "the only diplomatic solution that will work is one that dismantles Iran’s nuclear program and prevents Iran from having it in the future."
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons," he said. "If Israel is forced to stand alone Israel will stand alone."
Netanyahu said the international community "has Iran on the ropes" and should keep pressure on Tehran to shut down its nuclear program in its entirety.
Tehran has stockpiles of enriched uranium that it says are intended for use solely for nuclear energy.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a U.N. speech last week Iran is ready to engage in talks on its nuclear program "with full transparency" but called on the United States to avoid "war mongering." Rouhani spoke hours after U.S. President Barack Obama said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly Iran’s positive statements must be followed by positive actions that can be verified.
Netanyahu Tuesday called Rouhani a "wolf in sheep’s clothing." Paraphrasing former U.S. President Ronald Reagan — who famously said "trust but verify" — Netanyahu said the international community should "distrust, dismantle and verify" that Iran’s nuclear program is shut down.
He said economic sanctions should remain in place until Iran’s nuclear program has been verifiably shut down, and should be strengthened if Iran shows signs of going forward with its program.
"We all want to give diplomacy with Iran a chance to succeed," Netanyahu said, but keeping pressure on Tehran will improve chances diplomacy will resolve the issue.