Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, April 14, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun / File.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top challenger, former IDF chief Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party, both reacted on Monday to the news that Iran had exceeded the limits on uranium enrichment laid down in the 2015 nuclear agreement.

In remarks at a ceremony for outstanding reserve soldiers on Monday, Netanyahu said, “Today, Iran announced that it has violated its explicit commitment and crossed the threshold of 300 kg. of enriched uranium. Iran is taking a significant step toward producing nuclear weapons.”

“When we exposed the secret Iranian nuclear archive, we proved that any nuclear agreement with Iran is built on one big lie,” he asserted. “Now even Iran acknowledges this. Soon will be revealed additional proofs that Iran has been lying this whole time.”

Netanyahu continued:

I reiterate: Israel will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Today, I again call on all the European countries: Uphold your commitment. You committed to act the moment Iran violated the nuclear agreement. You committed to imposing the automatic sanctions set out by the Security Council. Then I say to you: Do it. Just do it.”

Gantz said in a statement, “Israel is united and determined against the Iranian threat.”

Gantz added, “Today, it is clear that Iran is not an Israeli problem, but an international one. I call for a broad global alliance against Iran, the intensification of sanctions and joint preparations for a situation in which Iran continues on its current path.”

“At the same time,” he noted, “I am certain that the IDF and the security forces are constantly preparing for every scenario in this area, and they can give the political echelon the necessary solutions to the threat so that Iran will never achieve a nuclear weapon.”