BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 12: Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks throughout a press convention with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured) at Schloss Bellevue presidential palace on Might 12, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog mentioned Wednesday that his nation was not pursuing regime change in Iran, and its assault on Tehran was aimed toward eliminating its nuclear capabilities.
Chatting with CNBC’s Dan Murphy, Herzog mentioned that regime change was “not an official goal of ours,” and the objective was “to take away the Iranian nuclear program.”
Herzog, who accused Tehran of “dishonest” and “speeding to the bomb,” added {that a} “change in [regime] can even carry peace within the area.”
The Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company in a assertion on June 9 urged Iran to “absolutely cooperate” with the company, or else it could “not be ready to supply assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is solely peaceable.”
On June 13, Israel launched a collection of airstrikes towards Iran, focusing on areas it mentioned have been associated to the nation’s nuclear program. Either side have since been buying and selling strikes.
“One must be powerful typically with a view to take away imminent threats. That is precisely what we’re doing,” Herzog advised CNBC, including that the strikes on Iran have had a real affect on its nuclear program.
U.S. president Donald Trump reportedly mentioned on Wednesday that Iran was “very shut” to having a nuclear bomb, placing him at odds with the testimony of his Nationwide Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard gave to the U.S. Congress in March.
“The IC [intelligence community] continues to evaluate that Iran will not be constructing a nuclear weapon and Supreme Chief Khamanei has not approved the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003,” Gabbard mentioned.
Earlier this week, the Group of Seven international locations expressed help for Israel, whereas condemning Iran as “the principal supply of regional instability and terror,” and reiterated that “Iran can by no means have a nuclear weapon.”
This was in distinction to China’s stance. Within the aftermath of the Israeli assault, Chinese language International Minister Wang Yi mentioned that Beijing “explicitly condemns Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty,” and mentioned that it helps Iran in “safeguarding its nationwide sovereignty and defending its reliable rights and pursuits.”
When requested if there was a diplomatic ramp off accessible to de-escalate the state of affairs, Herzog mentioned “there’s truly a whole lot of again channel. Nationwide talks and dialogue with world leaders is definitely fairly intensive.”
