Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of alleged "evidence" of Iran's secret ambitions in the development of nuclear weapons, information obtained from the Mossad, the Israeli secret services, from the examination of secret Iranian documents that they allegedly come into possession of. That statement sparked skeptical reactions from supporters of the 2015 deal between Tehran and the 5 + 1 group, including European nations who believe the deal is more important than ever.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (Aiea) said it will evaluate any new significant information, but cited its assessment three years ago that there were no "credible indications" of any activity to develop nuclear weapons in Iran after 2009. Netanyahu's speech on live television on Monday night came in view of May 12, the date chosen by US President Donald Trump as the deadline for deciding whether or not to confirm the American commitment to the 2015 agreement between Iran, the United Kingdom, and China. France, Germany, Russia and the United States. The premier said that tens of thousands of documents recently recovered by Israeli intelligence "prove" the existence of a secret Tehran program to develop nuclear weapons. The presentation immediately attracted criticism, claiming it is a concerted action with the White House, as Trump decides his position on the deal. Some analysts have also criticized the lack of details and evidence that Iran is not complying with the deal. Among the critical voices was that of the British Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson: "The speech of the Israeli premier on Iran's past research into nuclear weapons technology underlines the importance of maintaining the bonds of the agreement," he said. stressing that the agreement is not based "on trust", but on "rigid checks" in which the IAEA has "unprecedented access" to the Tehran program.
The High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, Federica Mogherini, declared that she had "not seen, for the moment, from Prime Minister Netanyahu any arguments about Iran's failure to comply, that is to say, violation of its commitments. "Linked to the agreement. France also stressed the importance of the agreement, adding that "information" from Israel "will have to be evaluated in detail". Netanyahu then spoke to CNN on Tuesday, defending his presentation but also refusing to answer questions about his country's nuclear capabilities. The international community believes that Israel is the only nation with nuclear weapons in the Middle East, but Israel has never admitted this. And Iran intervened through the Foreign Ministry spokesman, who responded to Netanyahu calling him a "Infamous liar". Immediately after the intervention of the Israeli Prime Minister, Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had already spoken of him as the "boy who screams wolf". Trump, however, welcomed the 'denunciation' of his Israeli ally, as did Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who met Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
The White House also added confusion with its statements, first by saying that Iran "has" a secret program, and then correcting it with "had". "These facts are consistent with what the US has long known: Iran had a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it tried in vain to hide from the world and its people," he said. For Trump and his allies in the Middle East, primarily Israel, the agreement approved in the Obama era is not rigid enough and must be replaced with a more permanent solution linked to greater controls on Tehran's missile program. Iran has always denied having plans on nuclear weapons, stating that its program has always had non-military purposes. Pompeo also called the material Netanyahu cited "authentic" and said that much of it was new to American experts. The opinion of Dan Shapiro, American ambassador to Israel in the Obama era, is different, who wrote on Twitter that "information is not new", adding that it will be "useful to Trump when he announces the abandonment of the agreement on May 12. . I think he's already made up his mind. This presentation, agreed with his team, will be cited as evidence to justify it ”.