Israel Consul General: U.S. Must Prevent Iran from Maintaining Nuclear Weapons

Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, stated Sunday that nuclear weapons capabilities must be prevented for Iran.

Akunis emphasized that President Donald Trump, not Israel, would hold decision-making authority over any potential U.S. military action.

The consul general noted that Tehran has shown no willingness to compromise in diplomatic talks.

“We can see that the Iranians, the evil empire, the ayatollahs, want to keep their nuclear weapons and their intercontinental missiles,” Akunis said.

Additionally, Israeli intelligence indicates Iran still retains nuclear-related capabilities despite a reported June operation.

Akunis urged U.S. and Western nations to prevent Iran from maintaining nuclear weapon capabilities or long-range missile systems. He questioned the purpose of negotiations if Iran insists on retaining both programs: “They are saying, OK, we want to keep the missiles and the nuclear weapons… So what is the negotiation for?”

When asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with Trump, Akunis stated that Iran would be central to discussions. He added: “I think that Iran will be on the table because the negotiations between the United States and Iran are supposed to continue as far as we know until now.”

Furthermore, Akunis described a reported ceasefire between Hamas and Israel but noted Hamas has failed to meet conditions for the next phase of an agreement. The consul general cited recent attacks by Hamas: “They tried to attack our soldiers… two days ago… last week.” He further stated that Hamas retains weapons and tunnel infrastructure, including 60% of tunnels built with Qatari funds.

Akunis also raised concerns about rising attacks in New York City since Mayor Zohran Mamdani assumed office in January. The consul general called for Mamdani to explicitly recognize Israel as “the homeland of the Jewish people.”