Israel urges ‘Plan B’ if Iran nuke deal fails

Israel’s defence minister Benny Gantz called for a “plan B” to be activated if an anticipated nuclear deal between Iran and the West fails to materialise.

He said Iran had vastly expanded its nuclear work, enriching uranium to 60 percent purity and increasing its stockpiles, as negotiations restarted under US President Joe Biden were underway last year.

He told a meeting of Israel-based diplomats on Wednesday: “We are running against time. The international community must insist on a solid agreement. And if no agreement is reached, we must activate ‘Plan B’ because there is no vacuum.”

At the meeting, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Gantz described the alternative plan as “to use force, to exert economic pressure, to exert political pressure” upon Iran.

Iranian officials gave further indications that they were now complying with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

On Wednesday Iranian officials said they had answered a longstanding IAEA demand to explain why traces of uranium were found in 2019 at undeclared nuclear sites in the country.