ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Israel’s foreign minister said on Friday that his country is determined to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon after Tehran vowed to step up its uranium enrichment process.
“We will do everything necessary to prevent extremists (in Iran) from succeeding, and we will certainly prevent this regime from having a nuclear weapon,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told reporters visiting Cyprus.
Iranian officials say the country will start enriching uranium with up to 60% purity following an attack on its nuclear plant at Natanz in central Iran on Sunday, which it accused Israel of.
Askenazi met with foreign ministers of Cyprus and Greece, Nikos Christodoulides and Nikos Dendias, as well as Anwar Gargash, a top presidential aide in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations in a benchmark deal last year, and the four countries represented at Friday’s meeting vowed to boost cooperation in defense, energy, tourism and other sectors.