Former Israeli PM Barak: Israel Alone Can’t Halt Iran’s Nuclear Progress
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak acknowledged that Israel’s capacity to significantly delay Iran’s nuclear program is limited. He described Iran as a “threshold nuclear power” and warned that military action by Israel alone could only stall the program by a few weeks or, at most, a month.
Barak noted that even U.S. strikes would not set Iran back more than a few months, adding that Iran may still need to complete certain stages of weaponization or conduct a test to demonstrate its nuclear capability.
Despite calling military strikes “problematic,” Barak said Israel sees them as justified and necessary, especially if coordinated with U.S. efforts.
He emphasized that the only effective ways to stop Iran would be through a strong new agreement or a full-scale war to bring down the regime—though he doubts any U.S. administration would commit to such action.
Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise as Israel launched airstrikes across Iran for a third consecutive day. Some Iranian missiles managed to bypass Israeli defenses, hitting buildings and causing civilian casualties. Iranian officials report at least 128 deaths from the Israeli attacks, while Israeli authorities say 10 people were killed in Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
