Britain and Israel vow to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions

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Britain and Israel have promised to work together to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The two countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation on issues such as cybersecurity, defense and trade.

Britain’s Foreign Minister Liz Truss said he would “do his best” to prevent Iran from securing nuclear weapons after Iran signed a “Memorandum” with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in London on Monday.

“As for Iran, Iran is absolutely determined to stop securing nuclear weapons and all options are being considered,” she told foreign ministry reporters.

Earlier in a joint article by The Daily Telegraph, the two ministers vowed to work “day and night” to prevent Iran from “becoming a nuclear power plant so far.”

“The clock is ticking, increasing the need for close cooperation with our partners and friends to thwart Tehran’s ambitions,” they write.

This will be achieved by representatives of Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom initiating talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). ..

“We want Iran to agree with the original JCPOA, which is very important,” Truss said at a Foreign Ministry press conference. “And we hope those discussions go well, but if they don’t work, all the options are in the table.”

An official spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented on the talks in Vienna, saying, “The challenge is that Iran’s nuclear program has never been more advanced than it is today and will undermine international security.”

“If the agreement is not signed quickly and Iran continues to escalate its nuclear weapons, they will be liable for the collapse of the nuclear agreement and the loss of opportunity,” he said.

Iran’s nuclear agreement was promoted by US President Barack Obama in 2015 as the “best option” to prevent Iran from using nuclear weapons, even temporarily.

However, the Iranian government seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. In 2017, it announced a 150% increase in its military budget for developing long-range missiles, armed drones, and cyberwarfare capabilities. It also began using some of its $ 150 billion foreign assets that were previously frozen by sanctions.

In May 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement and imposed sanctions on Iran to force the Islamic government to change a number of activities that the Trump administration said was unacceptable.

In 2019, the Iranian government publicly stated that it violated the uranium enrichment restrictions set by the agreement.

Iran and the six major powers began discussing how to revive the nuclear deal in April. So far, six consultations have been held. They are indirect, as Iran refuses direct contact with the United States, with predominantly European diplomats moving back and forth between US and Iranian officials.

Mimi Nguyen Ly and PA contributed to this report.

Alexander Chan

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