Gallant: Israel, US could have got enriched uranium out, set Iran back 30 years

8 June 2026, 2:24 pm

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Former defense minister Yoav Gallant speaks with Yonit Levi and Amit Segal of Channel 12 news in an interview broadcast on February 6, 2025. (Channel 12 screen capture)

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant says Israel and the US could have and should have gotten Iran’s enriched uranium out of the country, arguing this would have “set them back 30 years.”

“The IDF and US military had the capability to physically extract the enriched uranium from Iran,” Gallant tells Army Radio. “In the situation we’ve come to, that was the only option to achieve the necessary goal. That’s what the campaign was for — to stop the nuclear program.”

He adds: “The uranium enriched to high and medium levels represents 30 years of Iran’s nuclear efforts. If you bring it to you, you’ve set them 30 years back.”