Natanz nuclear facility
Natanz nuclear facilityReuters

Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, responded on Thursday to the reports that Iran had cleaned up the Parchin military site from radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger.

Speaking to Fox News, Bennett explained that there is no other explanation for the evidence that was found other than the fact that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon.

“As the UN inspector said, the Iranians are testing a neutron generator,” Bennett said. “You don’t use a neutron generator in order to make popcorn. It’s got only one use, and that’s to detonate a nuclear weapon.”

“Iran is racing toward acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he added. “It’s tripled the pace of its production of high-grade uranium just over the past few months, and it’s installed recently 2,600 new centrifuges underground.”

Bennett said that while Iran is racing toward a nuclear weapon, the sanctions “are way too slow and way too soft” to stop it.

“What’s needed now,” he said, “is shock-and-awe type sanctions that’ll bring Iran to the brink of collapse.”

Bennett called for two primary actions to take place against Iran: Implementation of new sanctions right away and no talks with the Islamic Republic until it allows inspections of its nuclear sites.

He said that Iran is quickly headed towards a situation in which its nuclear facilities will be underground and then it would be immune against any Israeli strike.

“We cannot hand over our fate to President Obama, that’s not going to happen for any sort of deal,” Bennett said, referring to reports that Obama offered Netanyahu advanced weapons in exchange for a delay of an attack on Iran. “I don’t believe there’s a deal on the table of that sort.”

He explained that Iran is using “maneuver and delay tactics” and said the situation right now is like a policeman knocking on a drug dealer’s door, and the drug dealer telling the policeman to come back later, after he’s flushed the drugs down the toilet.

“That’s exactly what’s happening right now in Iran, it’s ridiculous,” said Bennett. “It’s time to apply devastating, paralyzing sanctions on Iran. That’s the only chance to avert the need of an attack on Iran. If that doesn’t work, there will be a need to stop them with force.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)