Iran has reacted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s charges that the Islamic Republic has archived its know-how related to the development of nuclear arms, calling his speech a “childish presentation.” On April 30, Netanyahu accused Tehran of having a secret nuclear weapons program, called Amad, and charged that Tehran had continued to pursue such arms even after the project was shuttered in 2003.
Iranian officials believe that Netanyahu made these allegations as part of his plan to influence US President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to waive sanctions related to the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12. Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom) plus Germany in 2015.
