Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Tuesday spoke to i24NEWS and predicted that the Western world would impose "snapback" sanctions on Iran before the UN General Assembly in September of this year.

“Israel will take any needed steps to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Iran is the number one country that finances terrorism worldwide," said Cohen.

Commenting on the reports that Iran has enriched uranium up to 84 percent, just below the 90 percent needed to produce a nuclear bomb, Cohen said, “The [United States] and Europe cannot stand on the side anymore on the Iranian issue. Iran is very close to enriching uranium to 90 percent, and Iran is supplying weapons to Russia to fight Ukraine."

"The [United States] and relevant European countries will force snapback (sanctions) on Iran before the UN General Assembly in September," he added.

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal includes a clause allowing the United States to reimpose, or "snapback," all the sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the deal, if Iran fails to comply with the agreement, without UN Security Council members being allowed to veto.

“Israel will use any option, including attacking Iran, to prevent them from having a nuclear weapon. But it's also important that the US and other countries put their credible military threats on the table. Iran is like a cancer. It is a threat to the stability not just of the region but of the entire world," Cohen told i24NEWS.

“It’s not just the problem of Israel, it’s the problem of the world. It’s the right time to take the relevant steps immediately,” he added.

Cohen also commented on the judicial reform in Israel, which passed its first reading in the Knesset on Monday, stressing the reform would "strengthen" Israel's democracy.

“I believe the reform… will strengthen Israeli democracy. I met many of my colleagues from Europe, but none of them spoke of the judicial reform. They all focus mainly on the Russian-Ukraine war and its effect on them, on energy prices, inflation, and on threats coming from Iran,” he said.

On Tuesday, the UN called on Israel to pause its judicial reform plans, saying they could harm human rights protections and needed wider debate and reflection.

"Any connection between the UN human rights commissioner and human rights is strictly coincidental," Cohen said in response to the UN statement. "We will not accept moral preaching from those who ignore blatant violations of human rights in Syria, Iran, the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, and attack Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, more than any other country."

"The State of Israel will continue to be a strong and prosperous democracy, which will protect the rights of the individual," he added.

Cohen also said that more countries could be joining the historic US-brokered Abraham Accords to build relations with Israel.

“The Abraham Accords are the most dramatic thing that has happened in our region in the past two decades. They increased the stability in our region, brought prosperity to our people, and helped us build a coalition against the threat of Iran. My goal is the strengthen and expand the Accords," he told i24NEWS.

“There will be some news. Not just countries from Africa, but countries from the Gulf and far-east Asia, who can join in the normalization agreement with Israel. For us, all the Muslim and Arab countries can be partners," he added.