Israel’s ambassador to the United States said Thursday that any agreement aimed at resolving concerns over Iran’s nuclear program must result in the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, including hundreds of centrifuges that could rapidly produce enriched nuclear material.

Appearing on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, Ambassador Michael Leiter said Israel believes a diplomatic solution remains possible, but only if Iran’s nuclear capabilities are fully eliminated and independently verified.

Leiter said the ideal outcome would involve Iran opening its facilities to international inspectors and allowing experts to confirm that all nuclear-related materials and equipment have been removed.

“[T]he best case scenario would be that they actually open it up as a result of any deal and turn it over, by inspectors that would come in, experts that would come in and assess that all of it has been removed. But it’s important to point out, they have 1,700 centrifuges that can produce nuclear weapons tomorrow — enriched material, I should say, tomorrow. So those have to be dismantled as well or at least completely taken out of the ability to be reconstituted.”

The ambassador emphasized that merely pausing Iran’s nuclear activities would not be sufficient. In Israel’s view, any arrangement must ensure that the machinery used to enrich uranium cannot be restored or brought back into operation at a later date.

Earlier in the interview, Leiter expressed confidence that ongoing diplomatic efforts could ultimately produce a far-reaching agreement that eliminates the need for military action.

“we’re very confident, at the end of the day, if we have a deal of that nature, rather than going back to kinetic activity, it’s going to include a complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”

His remarks come as negotiations continue over a potential agreement with Iran, with nuclear enrichment and the future of Tehran’s uranium-processing infrastructure remaining among the central issues under discussion.

{Matzav.com}