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BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 12: Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a property league with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured) astatine Schloss Bellevue statesmanlike palace connected May 12, 2025 successful Berlin, Germany.
Carsten Koall | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Wednesday that his state was not pursuing authorities alteration successful Iran, and its onslaught connected Tehran was aimed astatine eliminating its atomic capabilities.
Speaking to CNBC's Dan Murphy, Herzog said that authorities alteration was "not an authoritative nonsubjective of ours," and the extremity was "to region the Iranian atomic program."
Herzog, who accused Teheran of "cheating" and "rushing to the bomb," added that a "change successful [regime] tin besides bring bid successful the region."
The International Atomic Energy Agency successful a statement connected June 9 urged Iran to "fully cooperate" with the agency, oregon other it would "not beryllium successful a presumption to supply assurance that Iran's atomic programme is exclusively peaceful."
On June 13, Israel launched a bid of airstrikes against Iran, targeting locations it said were related to the country's nuclear program. Both sides person since been trading strikes.
"One has to beryllium pugnacious sometimes successful bid to region imminent threats. That's precisely what we're doing," Herzog told CNBC, adding that the strikes connected Iran person had a genuine interaction connected its atomic program.
U.S. president Donald Trump reportedly said connected Wednesday that Iran was "very close" to having a atomic bomb, putting him astatine likelihood with the grounds of his National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard gave to the U.S. Congress successful March.
"The IC [intelligence community] continues to measure that Iran is not gathering a atomic limb and Supreme Leader Khamanei has not authorized the atomic weapons programme helium suspended successful 2003," Gabbard said.
Earlier this week, the Group of Seven countries expressed enactment for Israel, portion condemning Iran arsenic "the main root of determination instability and terror," and reiterated that "Iran tin ne'er person a atomic weapon."
This was successful opposition to China's stance. In the aftermath of the Israeli attack, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing "explicitly condemns Israel's usurpation of Iran's sovereignty," and said that it supports Iran successful "safeguarding its nationalist sovereignty and defending its morganatic rights and interests."
When asked if determination was a diplomatic ramp disconnected disposable to de-escalate the situation, Herzog said "there is really a batch of backmost channel. National talks and dialog with satellite leaders is really rather intensive."
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