Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address Monday he had new "proof" of an Iranian nuclear weapons plan that could be activated at any time, as the US considers whether to pull out of the atomic accord with Tehran.
But while Netanyahu accused Israel's main enemy Iran of lying about its nuclear ambitions, he did not provide evidence that it had actively worked to obtain an atomic weapon since the 2015 agreement between Tehran and six world powers. Iran has always denied it sought a nuclear weapon, insisting its atomic programme was for civilian purposes.
Netanyahu made the comments in an elaborate presentation that included props, video and slides, broadcast live on television from Tel Aviv.
He said Israel had obtained tens of thousands of files "a few weeks ago in a great intelligence achievement," saying they had been moved to a secret compound in Tehran in 2017 that looked dilapidated from the outside. As he spoke, binders that he said held copies of original documents were on shelves behind him, as were cases containing CDs.
"Tonight we're going to reveal new and conclusive proof of the secret nuclear weapons programme that Iran has been hiding for years from the international community in its secret atomic archive," Netanyahu said.
"We're going to show you Iran's secret nuclear files." He then laid out what he said was a years-old secret nuclear weapons programme stored away and which he could be put into action at any time.