Tue Feb 09, 2010 | 18:49
IAEA draft deal rattles ex-Israeli officials
Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:16:26 GMT
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Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni (R) and defense minister Shaul Mofaz (L)
Former members of the Israeli government speak out against an IAEA-proposed draft initiative to provide nuclear fuel for an Iranian research reactor.

Israel's Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni, discontent with what she claims to be a lack of world action against Iran, warned that the draft deal "will blow up in our face and in the face of the international community."

"Iran should know that all options are on the table," the former Israeli foreign minister told Army Radio on Friday.

"The world understands that it cannot afford a nuclear Iran, but to my regret there is a gap between this understanding and actions on the ground," she added.

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, on Wednesday, sent a draft nuclear agreement to the governments of Iran, Russia, the United States and France.

The proposal requires Iran to export its low-enriched uranium to Russia for further refinement, then onto France for fabrication into fuel assemblies that can be used in the Tehran research reactor.

The Tehran research reactor, which supplies medical isotopes for treating cancer to more than 200 hospitals in Iran, requires uranium enriched up to 20 percent.

Iranian officials say they prefer to buy nuclear fuel for the research reactor under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog rather than ship uranium abroad.

Iran's envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog, Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, said Friday that the country would nevertheless respond to the offer next week.

Former Israeli defense minister Shaul Mofaz, meanwhile, dismissed the draft proposal as "a worthless piece of paper."

Mofaz directed much of his criticism on ElBaradei, calling him "a serial cover-upper, an ostrich with its head in the sand," who wanted to show the world he had solved the Iranian problem before the end of his term.

The former Israeli army chief of staff argued that any agreement should include "an absolute halt to uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, and full and comprehensive supervision of all its nuclear facilities."

Tel Aviv, which reportedly has an arsenal of 200 nuclear warheads at its disposal, views Tehran's nuclear program as a “mortal threat.” Israeli leaders have repeatedly threatened to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities out of existence.

This is while, the Islamic Republic, since its establishment in 1979, has gone to war only once, and only to defend itself against an assault initiated by Iraq, whereas Israel has invaded Lebanon twice, bombed Syria and Iraq, and regularly bombed and attacked Gaza and other Palestinian areas at will.

The Israeli regime has also masterminded a wave of undercover operations and terror plots in numerous countries, including Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, Iran, Switzerland, and the US.

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