Israel warns of ‘military option’ against Iran as Netanyahu embraces Trump

Time is running out to disrupt Tehran’s nuclear program, the Israeli foreign minister said.

By Nicholas Vinocur

BRUSSELS — Israel is warning a "military option" could be required to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and is looking to U.S. President Donald Trump for help in ramping up pressure on the Islamic Republic, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

Speaking to POLITICO in Brussels, Sa'ar said time was running out as Iran had enriched enough uranium for a "couple of bombs" and was "playing with ways" to weaponize its enriched nuclear material — an outcome he said would have a hugely destabilizing impact on the Middle East.

"So we don't have much time," he said. While Israel still wants to pursue a diplomatic path, Sa'ar added that the chances of such an approach being successful were "not huge," and that failure to stop Iran's nuclear program would be a "catastrophe for the security of Israel."

"I think that in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponized, a reliable military option should be on the table," he said, when asked about the possibility of strikes during the Trump presidency. Failure to do so would trigger a "nuclear race in the Middle East with Egypt, Saudis, Turkey," he added.

Sa'ar's comments coincide with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to "finish the job" of derailing Iran's nuclear ambitions with Trump's help, after the U.S. president strongly sided with Israel during his first weeks in office and raised the prospect of "clearing out" the Gaza Strip.

Trump has said he prefers to make a deal with Iran rather than "bombing the hell out of it," but his top security adviser, Mike Waltz, stressed more recently that "all options" remain on the table and that Washington will be satisfied with nothing less than a total dismantling of Tehran's nuclear program.

Adding to the urgency of addressing the Iran threat, Sa'ar said, was a trend by which Iranian weapons are being smuggled to the West Bank via the border with Jordan. "We are now confronting a huge attempt by Iran via money and weapons that are floating to what you call the West Bank," he said, adding that the aim was to "inflame these territories."

No thaw with Dublin

The warning of a "military option" comes after Netanyahu followed Washington's lead during a symbolic vote on Ukraine this week at the United Nations. Despite having previously called Russia the aggressor in its conflict with Ukraine, Israel sided with the United States, Russia, Belarus and North Korea in abstaining on a resolution that would have blamed Moscow for the war.

But Sa'ar insisted that this was a practical decision by Israel to maintain ties with Washington rather than an embrace of Moscow's position.

"We voted with the Americans and I do believe that Russia is the aggressor," he said. "We haven't changed our mind, but we thought it is right to give a chance to the initiative of America to try to end this war and solve it by peaceful means."

Israel's U.N. vote put the country at odds with most European nations just as Sa'ar was arriving in Brussels for the first high-level dialogue between the Israeli government and European officials in Brussels since 2022.

EU countries led by Ireland, Spain and Belgium have been fiercely critical of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, leading to a diplomatic crisis with Dublin when Israel shuttered its embassy there amid accusations of anti-semitism. Speaking after the meeting, Sa'ar was bullish about the prospect of warmer ties between Israel and the EU, pointing to what he said was a "constructive" and "honest" dialogue led by top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, which he contrasted with what he called the "hostile, one-sided" approach of her predecessor Josep Borrell.

But things remain strained with Ireland. Asked if he'd spoken to Ireland's representative during the EU-Israel Association Council, Sa'ar said he had "shaken his hand," adding that Israel would rather direct resources toward embassies in countries with better prospects for bilateral ties — namely Moldova.

Kallas was due to visit Israel at the end of March, Sa'ar said, as the EU strives to normalize relations with Syria following the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime amid a push to send refugees back to their home countries.

Sa'ar warned against moving too quickly as the security situation could "very quickly" deteriorate into "riots" and bloodshed. "Of course, Europe is happy and we are happy that Assad is gone," he said. But, he added, "the approach of the current government in Damascus towards the Alawites is very negative as it is a revenge feeling. And there is also ... extrajudicial killings in Syria."

An EU spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kallas's trip.