Israel officials signaled to the Biden administration and several European countries on Wednesday that the nation’s military forces could strike against Iran if it enriches uranium levels above 60%.
According to a senior Israeli official who spoke to Axios, defense forces have been preparing for a possible military attack against Iran to prevent Tehran’s growing nuclear program from expanding after Iran amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium. If that level reaches 90% of weapon-grade uranium, investigators of an International Atomic Energy Agency report warn Iran could use the radioactive metal used as fuel to create at least one nuclear bomb, which they call a “clear Western political redline.”
The report further noted that Iran can now break out and produce enough weapon-grade enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon in 12 days, using only three advanced centrifuge cascades and half of its existing stock of 60 percent enriched uranium.
Israeli officials, however, do not want to set the 90% enrichment level as a “red line” to prevent Iranian forces from amassing uranium just short of weapons-grade.
“The Iranians totally internalized our position, and they know what our [red] line is,” a second Israeli official recently told reporters.
Israel officials denounced the amount of enriched uranium as meaningful to Axios, noting Tehran did not amass the material at that level. However, the atomic energy agency continues investigating Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site.
The remarks from Israel come less than 24 hours after a retired Israeli military general said the window to prevent an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear program is closing quickly.
Retired Brigadier General Amir Avivi says that the United States’ retreat from the Middle East, which has allowed China and Russia to move in, quickly limits Israel’s options for avoiding conflict. Israel’s timeframe for launching a strike against Iran has shortened to potentially as little as a few months.
An Israeli strike against Iran “is bad for everybody, but this is at the moment what’s going to happen, and maybe happen in three months, in six months, maybe a year,” Avivi told The Washington Free Beacon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced concerns over Iran’s progress toward becoming a nuclear power at a national security conference in February.
“The only thing that has credibly stopped rogue nations from developing nuclear weapons is a credible military threat or a credible military action,” Netanyahu said. “You can couple that with crippling economic sanctions, but that’s not a sufficient condition.
“A necessary condition, and an often sufficient condition, is credible military action,” he continued. “The longer you wait, the harder that becomes. We’ve waited very long.”
With the possible military strike against Iran, Axios reported two Israeli officials said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asked U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin during his recent visit to Israel to fast-track the delivery of the four KC-46 tankers, which Israel purchased from the U.S. last year.
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According to the officials, Israel has requested access to the tanks by the end of 2024.
Austin told Netanyahu and Gallant that the U.S. would attempt to deploy planes over to Israel but could face challenges due to the needs of the U.S. military, the officials told Axios.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.