Israeli general says Iran won’t choose A-bomb

Israel’s military chief has said he does not believe Iran will decide to build an atomic bomb and called its leaders “very rational” – comments that clash with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assessment.

The remarks by Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz were published yesterday in the left-wing Haaretz newspaper.

“Iran is moving step-by-step towards a point where it will be able to decide if it wants to make a nuclear bomb. It has not decided yet whether to go the extra mile,” Lt-Gen Gantz said.

But, he said, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could opt to produce nuclear weapons if he believed that Iran would not face reprisal.

“In my opinion, he will be making a huge mistake if he does that,” Lt-Gen Gantz said.

“The Iranian leadership is comprised of very rational people. But such a capability in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists, who may make different calculations, is a dangerous thing.”

Israel, believed to have the only nuclear arsenal in the region, has not ruled out military action against Iran should economic sanctions fail to curb its nuclear programme.