This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
Published on September 5, 2019, a week of heightened tensions between Iran and the international community has left many wondering about the true intentions of the Iranian government. On Wednesday, Iran indicated that it would take further steps to breach the nuclear deal, sparking fears in Jerusalem that the administration will pull a 180-degree policy turn with Iran, similar to what it did with North Korea.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a snap decision to meet with the new U.S. defense secretary, Mark Esper, in London to discuss Israel's security needs. This move could be a political stunt connected to Israel's upcoming elections or a genuine concern about Israel's expanding bombing campaign against Iranian military targets in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
The question of what Iran might have been storing in the warehouse in Turquz Abad, where it is now, what else it might be hiding, and what that all suggests about Iran's 'breakout time' is sure to be under discussion. Netanyahu has been thwarted before from conducting a strike on Iran's nuclear sites, but the desire on his part is clearly there, and Israel's Air Force is more capable now than it was in 2012.
Many readers of this column, Iran watchers and proliferation experts especially, fear the possibility of an Israeli surprise. If they're serious about averting it, they could play a helpful part by demanding more credible inspections and honest reporting from the I.A.E.A., starting with a thorough accounting for what went mysteriously missing from Turquz Abad.
