Mossad chief David Barnea says Israel must ensure Iran’s nuclear project is never reactivated, dismissing prospects for a diplomatic solution.
JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service stated the country must “ensure” Iran does not restart its nuclear programme.
David Barnea made the remarks six months after Israel bombed Tehran’s atomic facilities during a 12-day war.
“The idea of continuing to develop a nuclear bomb still beats in their hearts,” Barnea said at an award ceremony for Mossad agents.
“We bear responsibility to ensure that the nuclear project, which has been gravely damaged, in close cooperation with the Americans, will never be activated.”
The outgoing spy chief, whose term ends in June 2026, praised Israel’s surprise opening strikes of the war.
He suggested the attacks revealed the vast intelligence Israeli spies had collected on Iran.
“The ayatollahs’ regime awoke, in a single moment, to discover that Iran is entirely exposed and penetrated,” Barnea said.
He expressed scepticism towards any diplomatic solution with Tehran.
“Iran believes it can deceive the world once again and implement yet another bad nuclear deal,” Barnea added.
“We did not and will not allow a bad deal to be realised.”
Western powers have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.
Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran during his first term.
Israel had opposed that agreement, which limited Iran’s nuclear enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran and the United States began negotiations for a new deal in April, mediated by Oman.
Those talks halted abruptly after Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on June 13, which triggered the conflict.
The US joined with its own strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump has repeatedly said the US attack obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme, but the full damage remains unknown.
The Pentagon stated the strikes delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by between one and two years.
This contradicted an initial classified US intelligence report that found the setback was only a few months.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously rebuffed Trump’s claims.
Khamenei told Trump to “keep dreaming” regarding the destruction of Iran’s nuclear programme. – AFP
