Israeli premier says 'mild' UN sanctions ineffective against Iran
17/02/201010:51
MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he believes mild sanctions the UN Security Council is considering against Iran over its controversial nuclear program will not work.
"It is necessary to exert pressure on Iran to try to prevent it from creating nuclear weapons because the obtaining of nuclear weapons by Iran will have a negative effect on the world and the [Middle East] region as a whole," Netanyahu said in an interview with Russian business daily Kommersant published on Wednesday.
Netanyahu concluded on Tuesday his visit to Moscow with the goal of persuading Russia to support the introduction of tough additional international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The West suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, but the Islamic Republic insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.
Iran's recent move to begin enriching uranium to 20% drew stinging criticism from the West. U.S. President Barack Obama said last week Washington and its allies would begin drafting "significant" new sanctions against Tehran. Russia, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, has a decisive say in the issue.
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