This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of attempting to blackmail the world by violating the 2015 nuclear deal.
Speaking at an event in Jerusalem on July 4, Netanyahu stated, "This week Iran openly violated the nuclear deal by increasing the stockpile of enriched uranium beyond that allowed under the deal."
Iran announced on Monday that it had exceeded the limit on its enriched uranium reserves set under the 2015 nuclear deal, which has been on the brink of collapse since the US withdrew from the accord in 2018.
Netanyahu believes that Iran's move is a desperate attempt to exert pressure on Europe to salvage the deal, which has been under strain since the US reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
"They're hoping, that regime, that by violating the deal it will be able to blackmail the world into making concessions and reducing the economic pressure on it," Netanyahu said.
He urged Europe to increase pressure on Iran, stating, "Now is the time to increase the pressure. Now is the time to stand firm."
Netanyahu has long been a vocal critic of the 2015 agreement, and his comments come as a Mossad operation to obtain documents from Iran providing "proof" of Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions was revealed.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.
