Iran International
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told Iran International on Tuesday there is no prospect of renewed war with Tehran in the near future, after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this year.
Speaking to Iran International at UN headquarters in New York, Danon said the strikes in June delivered a major setback to Iran’s nuclear program, and that it would take Tehran “years” to rebuild.
Still, he framed the strikes as a chance to rally the world to action, not the start of an open conflict.
He urged the international community to seize the moment not for escalation, but for pressure — through tougher sanctions and inspections.
“As of now, I see now is the time for the international community to step in and to apply more pressure,” he said.
He also voiced skepticism about Tehran’s alleged offer to Europeans to dilute its highly enriched uranium without intrusive verification.
Asked whether Israel might carry out more attacks on Iran, Danon said any decision would depend on Iran’s nuclear and missile activities.
“I don't think we're moving toward war, you know, Israel is a peaceful nation. And I think Iran should focus its energy supporting the Iranian people, not to spend billions on the proxies, on Hezbollah, on the Houthis.”
“They should support their own people in Iran. They deserve better than that,” he said.
His comments came hours after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei categorically rejected negotiations with Washington, dismissing President Donald Trump’s demand that Iran end all uranium enrichment as “dictation, not negotiation.”
In a televised speech, Khamenei said Iran would never bow to threats and vowed enrichment would continue, declaring that “a proud nation like the Iranian people will slap the mouth of the one who says this.”
In New York, Iran’s foreign minister met with his British, French, and German counterparts in last-ditch talks aimed at preventing the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions on September 28.
Diplomats warned that the chances of success remain slim, saying Tehran has yet to take the concrete steps needed to avert snapback. “The ball is in Iran’s court,” one European envoy said.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told The Times Tehran could resume enrichment “within weeks.”
But Danon said the strikes had bought valuable time — and that Israel’s priority now is to use that time to build international pressure on Tehran, not to move toward war.
Former deputy director Olli Heinonen told Iran International's podcast Eye for Iran that roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent remains unaccounted for — enough material for several nuclear weapons if further refined.
