Israeli PM calls for UN Security Council to act against Iran over nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday suggested that the United Nations Security Council should act against Iran in response to its developing nuclear program, contending that such a move is meant to hold the Islamic republic accountable.

Bennett, while delivering remarks at a conference in Jerusalem, said he expects countries to “bring [Iran] to the U.N. Security Council, hold Iran accountable for it,” adding that such a move “would be the peaceful route forward,” according to The Associated Press.

He reportedly conveyed that the growing threat of Iran’s nuclear arsenal is an issue for all nations and that Tehran should be held accountable on the global stage.

Bennett also said that he has discussed Iran’s breach of international commitments with President Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in addition to other world leaders, according to the AP.

Iran continued developing its nuclear program after former President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, which was originally brokered by the Obama administration in 2015.

Since the U.S. left the deal, Iran has been enriching uranium. Additionally, a U.N. nuclear watchdog announced last month that Iran is not complying with its nuclear monitoring agreement.

Nuclear talks in Vienna between Iran and other countries reached a stalemate and broke down in June. The U.S., for its part, engaged with the Islamic republic through allies.

The U.S. and Germany want Iran to rejoin the JCPOA, but Israel is against such a move.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is in Washington, D.C., this week and is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Vice President Harris to discuss Iran.

The visit comes after Bennett met with Biden last month — the first meeting between the two leaders as prime minister and president — where Iran was a topic of discussion.

Biden said the U.S. is “putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us” but noted that “if diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options.”

Bennett sounded a similar note on Tuesday, advocating for diplomacy but warning that “other routes” exist.

“There are other routes,” Bennett said, according to the AP, adding “but that’s the right thing to do. And I’m going to continue pursuing that over the next few weeks and months.”