Referring to assassinations, viruses, deputy PM suggests setbacks to Iran could reoccur.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSyaalon great 311(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon Tuesday played down the prospect of an imminent attack on Iran, saying its controversial nuclear program could still be set back by sanctions and sabotage.Asked during an interview with Army Radio if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government might be just weeks away from launching a war against Iran, Ya'alon demurred."No. Look, we have to see," he said. "The (Iranian nuclear) project is not static -- whether that means progress, or sometimes, retreat. All sorts of things are happening there.""Sometimes there are explosions, sometimes there are worms there, viruses, all kinds of things like that," the deputy prime minister said, suggesting that setbacks plaguing Iran over the past three years, including the assassination of several of its scientists and the Stuxnet malware that stymied core computer systems, could be repeated.Iran accused Israel of involvement in sabotage in the past. Jerusalem has not responded directly to the allegation, though it says it coordinates its efforts with Western and regional allies.Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threatSix world powers are expected to renew efforts next month to talk Tehran into curbing its uranium enrichment, which can yield fuel for atomic warheads as well as for civilian projects. Iran denies having any hostile designs.Ya'alon said the mid-April talks would show "if there is a chance that the sanctions are working or that the Iranians are continuing to maneuver and advance toward a military nuclear capability."“Unfortunately the West is hesitating from moving ahead with sanctions quickly and strongly,” he added.
