Iran, Israel trade barbs over nuclear program

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - In a sharp retort to Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's warning that Tel Aviv could act against Iran's nuclear program, Tehran said on Friday that it "reserves the right to respond."

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh chided the Israeli top diplomat for his remarks made during his visit to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Calling Israel an "outlaw regime" that possesses "illicit nukes", the Iranian spokesperson said the country that has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) "again threatens the NPT-member Iran."

"Iran reserves right to respond," he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The remarks came a day after Lapid, during his first meeting with Lavrov in Moscow, emphasized the need to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

“Iran’s march toward a nuclear weapon is not only an Israeli problem, it’s a problem for the entire world,” the Israeli official asserted.

“A nuclear Iran will lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East,” Lapid warned.

“The world needs to stop Iran from getting nuclear capabilities, no matter the price. If the world doesn’t do it, Israel reserves the right to act," he said.

Pertinently, the two countries have traded barbs over nuclear issues for long. Iran has blamed Israel of targeting its key nuclear sites as well as top nuclear scientists.

- ‘Absurd’ allegations

In a separate statement, Khatibzadeh also denounced a statement issued by the Arab League in Cairo on Thursday, terming the allegations leveled against Iran "absurd."

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt had on Thursday called for a “rapid and comprehensive inspection” of all Iranian nuclear sites.

Khatibzadeh said Iran invites its neighbors for dialogue to "resolve misunderstandings through diplomatic channels."

Earlier this week, the UN atomic watchdog said Iran has "continued to increase" its stockpile of enriched uranium that it said could be used to make nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its quarterly report also alleged that its verification and monitoring activities have been “seriously undermined” since February by Iran’s refusal to let inspectors access the sites.

In response, Iran’s representative to IAEA Kazem Gharibabadi said "no one can tell" Iran to stop its nuclear activities as long as the US sanctions are in place, emphasizing that the measures are "in line with its non-proliferation commitments."