Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool

i24 News – In an interview with the UK’s Telegraph published Saturday, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that Iran was “dangerously close” to producing nuclear weapons.

“Iran is enriching uranium at an unprecedented rate and moving dangerously close to getting their hands on nuclear weapons,” Bennett said.

The prime minister called on world powers to increase pressure against Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Without pressure from the West, the Islamic regime in Iran could get their hands on a nuclear bomb very soon,” he said.

“The world must take a firm stance and tell the Islamic regime in Iran: no nukes, no sanctions. Iran’s nuclear program won’t stop until it’s stopped,” he added.

The Telegraph also reported that Israel asked the UK to establish a “tripwire” mechanism to deter Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. It would initiate harsher sanctions against Iran if it continued with its efforts.

According to the Telegraph, Israeli officials believe that Western diplomats are starting to abandon hope of reviving the Iran nuclear deal, recognizing that the regime is building atomic weapons.

This comes after the UN nuclear watchdog criticized Iran over its nuclear program on Wednesday, prompted by Tehran saying it disconnected some of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s cameras monitoring its nuclear site.

Israel Hayom, citing anonymous Israeli government sources, reported that Iran already had enough fissile material to make nuclear bombs. However, a source familiar with the Iranian nuclear program said this was likely to be an exaggeration.