Israel’s foreign minister highlights need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stressed the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, despite Israel’s own undeclared nuclear arsenal that is not subject to international oversight.

Saar made the remarks Tuesday during a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as part of an open-ended visit he began earlier in the day, according to a post on the US social media platform X.

“We received yesterday, once again, evidence of the Iranian regime’s mad nature. We strongly condemn the regime’s unprovoked attacks against the United Arab Emirates,” he said.

For a second consecutive day, the UAE announced that it had intercepted missiles and drones launched from Iran.

“Anyone who sees how this (Iranian) regime behaves toward all its neighbors in the region - understands the need to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons,” he added.

The US and Israel accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel and US-allied countries in the region, while Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Israel, which occupies Palestinian territories as well as land in Lebanon and Syria, is widely believed to be the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, though it has never officially confirmed this and is not subject to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Israel is also preparing for the possible collapse of a ceasefire between the US and Iran that began on April 8 amid concerns of a renewed conflict following hostilities that started on Feb. 28 when the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul