Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, with the Israeli prime minister claiming that he has taken “countless” actions, both “public and secret”, that delayed his nuclear program.

These statements have been the first of Netanyahu since US President Donald Trump’s government began negotiating with Tehran in an effort to conclude a new agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. A second round of US and Iran talk is expected to take place on Saturday in Rome.

“As the prime minister has stated in many cases: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”announced the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The prime minister took countless actions, obvious and hidden, against the Iranian nuclear program, without which Iran would have a nuclear arsenal today. These actions delayed Iran’s nuclear program for nearly a decade“, The announcement added.

The New York Times reported yesterday that Trump had prevented Israel from hitting nuclear facilities in Iran, leaning towards a diplomatic solution.

Today, the head of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) Rafael Grosi said from Tehran that time is pushing for a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. Yesterday, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Grossi said the Islamic Republic is “not far” from acquiring a nuclear weapon.