JERUSALEM — Israel’s military chief said in an interview published Wednesday that Iran will ultimately decide against building a nuclear weapon - putting him at odds with Israel’s more pessimistic prime minister.
Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz told the Haaretz daily that he believes that diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions, along with Israel’s determination to strike if necessary, will deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.
“I don’t think [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] will want to go the extra mile,” he said. “I think the Iranian leadership is composed of very rational people.”
At the same time, he warned that Israel is moving forward with its preparations to take military action if necessary. “We are preparing for it in a credible manner. That’s my job, as a military man,” he said.
He said this year would be critical in determining whether Iran decides to take the final steps needed for a weapon.
“We’re in a period when something must happen: Either Iran takes its nuclear weapon to a civilian footing only or the world, perhaps we too, will have to do something. We’re closer to the end of the discussions than the middle,” he said.
Gen. Gantz’s comments contrasted with much tougher statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who complained in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that international sanctions have not changed Iran’s behavior. He told the network that Iran continues to enrich uranium - a key step toward developing a weapon.
The sanctions “are certainly taking a bite out of the Iranian economy, but so far they haven’t rolled back the Iranian program or even stopped it by one iota,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
Nuclear centrifuges are “spinning as we speak. So if the sanctions are going to work, they better work soon,” he said.
Israel and much of the West believe Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. But differences have emerged on how to deal with the issue.
The U.S. and other major powers have imposed a series of economic sanctions while opening a dialogue with Iran. Mr. Netanyahu has voiced skepticism about the negotiations, saying Iran is merely trying to buy time as it pushes forward with a weapons program, while hinting that Israel would be ready to attack Iran’s nuclear installations.
Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence. Iran claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Mr. Netanyahu sarcastically dismissed the denials. He cited Iran’s development of missiles capable of dropping a bomb on Israel, Iranian leaders’ repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, and fortifying Iranian nuclear facilities deep underground. “Nobody can take them seriously,” he said.
Both Mr. Netanyahu and Gen. Gantz gave the interviews as Israel marked its annual Memorial Day for soldiers and civilians killed in violence with Arab neighbors.
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