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Latest Netanyahu story

Oct 04,2018 - Last updated at Oct 04,2018

Israel never ceases to up the ante on Iran, and the latest development was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling the UN General Assembly recently that Iran is maintaining a secret nuclear weapons storage facility.

"Iran has not abandoned its goal to develop nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly. The Israeli prime minister was even more specific about the alleged location of the secret facility which was described to be located in Tehran’s Turquzabad District. The Israeli leader also told the UN that he has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about this allegation and requested an immediate investigation.

Of course as predicted, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied, categorically, the Israeli charge and called it a fabrication. Netanyahu's main audience, however, could be none other than US President Donald Trump, who is already sold on the idea that Iran is capable of all sorts of mischief, including the possession of nuclear weapons and, therefore, more than ready to believe the latest Netanyahu story.

Given the proposition that Trump is trigger-happy when it comes to Iran, having devoted the bulk of his address to the UN last week to Iran and the dangers it possesses to its region and the world, Netanyahu would like nothing more than having Trump order the bombing of the alleged facility, where Iran is presumably storing its secret nuclear weapons. And the US president is of the kind who would order such an attack even when the Israeli charge cannot be corroborated by an independent source.

The international community is duty-bound to prevent any attack on an Iranian facility that is suspected of storing nuclear weapons, without first verifying the authenticity of the accusation levelled against Iran. Israel has its own agenda concerning Iran and, unfortunately, President Trump is more than ready to accommodate this agenda, whatever the price or its validity.

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