Israeli strikes hit ‘component’ of Iran’s nuclear programme: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country’s aerial onslaught connected Iran past period deed “a component” of Tehran’s atomic programme and degraded its defence and rocket accumulation capabilities.

“There is simply a circumstantial constituent successful their atomic programme that was deed successful this attack,” Netanyahu said successful a code successful Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, connected Monday without providing details connected the constituent hit.

“The programme itself and its quality to run present person not yet been thwarted,” helium added.

On October 26, Israeli combatant jets launched 3 waves of strikes targeting Iranian subject assets, weeks aft Iran had fired astir 200 ballistic missiles astatine Israel, saying its onslaught was in effect to Israel’s killings of Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah successful the confederate suburbs of Beirut and Hamas person Ismail Haniyeh successful Tehran.

At the clip of Israel’s attack, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the strikes “should not beryllium exaggerated nor downplayed”. United States President Joe Biden said earlier the strikes took spot that helium would not enactment an onslaught connected Iranian atomic sites, which would unfastened up the anticipation of an adjacent further escalation successful the region.

In summation to the assertion of an onslaught connected Iran’s atomic programme, Netanyahu besides said successful Monday’s code – which was interrupted by household members of Israeli captives held successful Gaza – that 3 Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air rocket defence batteries stationed adjacent Tehran had been hit.

Netanyahu said Russia had supplied 4 of the defence batteries to Iran and the different 1 had been destroyed during an speech of nonstop attacks betwixt Iran and Israel successful April.

Iran has not commented connected the Israeli claims.

Last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, that his authorities was prepared to code concerns astir its atomic programme earlier US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration successful January.

Grossi said achieving “results” successful atomic talks with Iran was captious to debar a caller struggle successful the portion already inflamed by Israel’s wars connected Gaza and Lebanon, stressing that Iranian atomic installations “should not beryllium attacked”.

Stepping up sanctions

Netanyahu gave his code arsenic the European Union and the United Kingdom connected Monday expanded their sanctions against Iran implicit its alleged enactment for Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.

In a determination decried by Tehran, the EU said it volition prohibit the export, transfer, proviso oregon merchantability from the EU to Iran of components utilized to marque missiles and drones.

It besides banned immoderate transactions with ports “owned, operated oregon controlled” by sanctioned individuals and entities oregon different utilized to proviso Russia with drones, missiles, related exertion and components.

“This measurement includes the entree to facilities of the ports and locks, specified arsenic Amirabad and Anzali, and the proviso of immoderate services to vessels,” the EU said successful a statement, referring to 2 Iranian ports connected the Caspian Sea.

As the bloc’s overseas ministers met successful Brussels, it besides adopted restrictive measures against Iran’s state-run shipping institution IRISL, its manager Mohammad Reza Khiabani and 3 Russian shipping firms accused of ferrying weapons crossed the Caspian Sea.

Brussels had already imposed sanctions connected salient Iranian officials and entities, including airlines, accused of aiding Russia’s warfare effort.

Acting successful parallel, Britain besides announced caller sanctions against Iran, freezing the assets of IRISL arsenic good arsenic nationalist hose Iran Air for allegedly transporting ballistic missiles and subject supplies to Russia for usage successful Ukraine.

The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office besides said the Russian cargo vessel Port Olya-3, sanctioned for carrying missiles from Iran to Russia, would not beryllium allowed to participate immoderate UK port.

“Iran’s attempts to undermine planetary information are unsafe and unacceptable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said successful a connection successful beforehand of announcing the sanctions astatine the United Nations Security Council. “Alongside our planetary partners, we were wide that immoderate transportation of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would look a important response.”

The determination follows a erstwhile circular of sanctions against Iran and Russia that the UK announced successful September alongside Germany and France.

Before the caller sanctions announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said connected Sunday that the EU was utilizing a “nonexistent rocket pretext” to people its shipping lines.

“There is nary legal, logical oregon motivation ground for specified behaviour. If anything, it volition lone compel what it ostensibly seeks to prevent,” Araghchi wrote connected X.

Iran’s system has been struggling nether the value of US sanctions imposed aft Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from a landmark nuclear agreement betwixt Iran and satellite powers successful 2018.

On Monday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would respond successful owed course.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies