Israel’s Netanyahu says Iran no longer has uranium enrichment capacity

Summary

• Netanyahu claims US-Israeli air attacks have eliminated Iran's capacity to enrich uranium and produce ballistic missiles after 20 days.
• Following collapsed talks, the US and Israel launched air attacks on 28 Feb; Iran retaliated with missiles and Strait of Hormuz restrictions.
• Netanyahu anticipates a ground component to the war but says it is up to the Iranian people to overthrow their government.

JERUSALEM - Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles after 20 days of US-Israeli air attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference on March 19.

“We are winning, and Iran is being decimated,” Mr Netanyahu said, noting that Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed.

“What we’re destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they’re trying to produce,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Mr Netanyahu did not provide evidence for his claim that Iran no longer had the capacity to enrich uranium.

Iran’s nuclear programme was the focus of mediated talks that ultimately collapsed with the US and Israel launching an air attack on Iran on Feb 28. Iran has fired missiles back at Israel and other Gulf countries while also limiting tankers from using the Straight of Hormuz.

Despite the nearly three-week war, it was still too soon to tell whether Iranians will take to the streets to try to overthrow their government, Mr Netanyahu said.

“It’s up to the Iranian people to show that, to choose the moment and to rise to the moment,” he said.

While the war so far has been conducted via air attacks, Mr Netanyahu said there has to be a ground component as well and “there are many possibilities for this ground component.”

He did not elaborate.

Mr Netanyahu also denied he dragged the United States into the conflict.

“Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?” he said. REUTERS