Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Iran is developing centrifuges at new underground sites being built near the Natanz nuclear facility.
He added - in a speech at a symposium at Reichmann University in northern Israel - that "Iran is making an effort to complete the manufacture and installation of 1,000 advanced IR6 centrifuges in its nuclear facilities.
In his speech on Tuesday, Gantz made it clear that Iran continues to "accumulate irreversible knowledge and experience in the field of development, research, production, and the operation of advanced centrifuges."
He pointed out that Iran "is a few weeks away from accumulating fissile material sufficient to make a first bomb, possessing 60 kilograms of material enriched to 60%, producing metallic uranium at the level of 20% enrichment, and preventing the International Atomic Energy Agency from accessing its facilities." .
He pointed out that Iran has increased "the amount of long-range strategic weapons ... significantly in the past year."
Gantz's statements came one day before his departure to the United States of America to meet with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, where the Iranian nuclear file will be at the center of the two sides' discussions.
Gantz revealed for the first time that the two drones - which the Israeli army announced downing last February and were bound for Palestinian organizations in the West Bank and Gaza - were shot down in Iraq, without adding further details.
"Based on the fact that the drones were attached to parachutes, we assess that the purpose of the launch was to deliver weapons to organizations in Gaza or the West Bank," Gantz said, adding that "the mission failed, and the drones were intercepted in Iraq."
During his speech, Gantz linked what is happening in Ukraine and Iran;
He considered that "one of the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, is that it is right to exercise economic, political and, if necessary, military force as soon as possible, perhaps in this way, to prevent wars."
He added, "The same applies to the situation we are in with Iran. The price of a possible future war can be prevented or reduced by running a multidimensional pressure campaign, led by the international community," pointing out that "the price of confronting the Iranian challenge at the global and regional levels is higher than it was before." A year ago, it is now less than it will be in the next year.”