Iran Nuclear Deal: World powers divided over Israel's nuclear accusation against Iran

World
Europe

02:33

Just days ahead of US President Donald Trump's decision on the fate of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has evidence that Tehran is engaged in a nuclear weapons program. Iran fired back - calling Netanyahu an 'infamous liar'. Our Chuck Tinte explains.

Thousands of confidential files unveiled on Iran's nuclear program. In a prime-time speech, Netanyahu accused Tehran of secretly developing a nuclear weapons program, and said it's being deceptive about its nuclear ambitions.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER "First, Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons programme. One-hundred thousand secret files prove it did. Second, even after the deal, Iran continued to preserve and expand its nuclear weapons knowledge for future use."

Tehran responded by calling the Israeli prime minister the boy who cried wolf -- a reference to how Netanyahu continues to repeat allegations concerning Iran's nuclear activities. It also warned Trump of the consequences of withdrawing from the nuclear deal.

ALI AKBAR SALEHI HEAD OF IRAN'S ATOMIC ENERGY ORGANIZATION "I have said this more than once, that technically, we are fully capable of returning to enriching uranium to a higher level than before."

Netanyahu has long been a critic of the Iran nuclear deal, signed between Tehran and six world powers in 2015. The arch-rivals severed ties in 1979. At the UN General Assembly in September 2012, Netanyahu famously drew a red line on Iran's efforts to enrich uranium.

Netanyahu called the landmark 2015 deal a historical mistake. He threatened to unilaterally strike Iran's nuclear sites if the international powers hesitated. Even so, his latest presentation didn't go down well with many saying, it provided nothing new and didn't provide clear evidence Iran had violated the accord.

FEDERICA MOGHERINI EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS & SECURITY POLICY "The IAEA have released ten reports, certifying that Iran has fully complied with its commitments. And, in any case, if any party, if any country, has information on non-compliance of any kind, they can and should address and channel this information through the proper legitimate recognised mechanism."

Now all eyes are on Trump, who has been informed of the evidence against Iran. He has until a May 12 deadline to decide on whether to stay in the deal, or get out. Chuck Tinte, CGTN.