MK Israel Hasson
Photo: Elad Gershgoren
Iranian nuclear facility
Photo: AP
MKs: Continue sanctions until full transparency provided by Iran
Member of Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee say IAEA report proves Tehran conceal true objective of its nuclear program. 'World will regret any delay in imposing fresh sanctions,' MK Hasson says. Iranian official says 'positive report undermines US efforts'
Members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee called for a third round of sanctions on Iran following the publication of a report that said Tehran failed to fully cooperate with UN atomic investigators and did not answer key questions about its nuclear past.
Bush Administration
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US secretary of state says UN has 'very strong case' for imposing fresh sanctions on Islamic Republic , as new report by United Nations nuclear watchdog showed Tehran failed to fully cooperate with atomic investigators
Knesset Member Israel Hasson of Yisrael Beiteinu said the transparency provided by Iran in its dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was "insufficient".
"When you see a cat on the street that meows like a cat and scratches like a cat, you don’t need a DNA test to prove it’s a cat," the former deputy chief of the Shin Bet internal security service said.
"Iran arms terror organizations and is developing a nuclear program without adequate transparency," he said. "This in itself should be enough to make every effort to stop this program, until there is full transparency. I don't think anyone can guarantee such transparency from the Iranian regime, so the world will regret each day that passes (without imposing fresh sanctions)."
'No legal basis for sanctions'
Former Mossad chief Dani Yatom of Labor said the IAEA report "proves what Israel has claimed all along: The Iranians are continuing to conceal their military activity and deceive the entire world.
"The IAEA must continue to demand that the Iranians provide all of the answers (regarding their nuclear program), and the UN Security Council must impose a third and much more painful round of sanctions on Iran."
Likud MK Silvan Shalom met last week with senior British officials in London in an effort to convince them of the need to impose harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic, regardless of whether such a move is backed by Russia and China.
"The report shows once again that Iran is doing everything it can to keep its true plans secret," he said.
However, Ran Cohen of the leftist Meretz party said that while there was no doubt that Iran's intentions were "malicious", the aggressive steps taken against Tehran should be accompanied by diplomatic efforts.
According to him, Israel should try and isolate Tehran by reaching a peace agreement with Syria.
Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council official Jawad Waeedi said the IAEA report did not offer "any legal basis" for the imposition of additional sanctions.
Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said the report proved that Tehran's nuclear program was being pursued for "peaceful purposes".
According to Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian parliament's Commission for Foreign Policy and National Security, the "positive report undermines the US's efforts to impose more sanctions against Tehran."
