Gantz: Israel must prepare for a nuclear Iran

Defense Minister Benny Gantz says Israel must prepare itself for the possibility that Iran will obtain an atomic weapon.

“In face of Iranian armament with a nuclear weapon, we have no choice but to expand our force build-up, rely on our human capital and to adapt our plans,” Gantz says at the graduation ceremony for Israel’s National Defense College.

In recent months, the United States and Iran have been negotiating a mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal, but these talks have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, increasing the likelihood that Tehran will fully abandon the accord.

Israel has maintained that as it is not part of the nuclear deal, it is free to act as it sees fit to prevent Iran from obtaining an atomic bomb.

In his speech, Gantz calls for the government to allow the country’s security services to “maintain military superiority, which allows our existence and our efforts to obtain peace.”

This appears to refer to a report by the Kan broadcaster earlier in the night that the Israel Defense Forces is asking the government for a major budget increase.