Tehran blasts Netanyahu vow to ‘finish the job’ against Iran

TEHRAN – Iran on Feb 17 condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call to “finish the job” against the Islamic republic as a breach of the UN Charter.

“Threatening others is both a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters, adding that Israel “can’t do a thing” against Iran.

On Feb 16, Mr Netanyahu told a Jerusalem news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that

Israel would “finish the job” against Iran

with the support of the US, its top ally.

Mr Netanyahu also said Israel had “dealt a mighty blow to Iran’s terror axis” during the past 16 months.

Over that period, Israel has

engaged in conflicts with Iran-backed groups

, including Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

These groups form part of what Iran describes as its “Axis of Resistance” – a network of regional militants aligned against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.

US President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has

reinstated a “maximum pressure” policy

against Iran, mirroring his approach during his first term.

Under this policy, the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons.

Iran has

repeatedly denied these allegations

, though it has scaled back its commitments under the agreement and increased uranium enrichment levels to 60 per cent.

On Feb 16, Mr Rubio said Iran would never become a nuclear power, labelling the Islamic republic the “greatest” source of instability in the Middle East.

Mr Baqaei on Feb 17 said Iran’s nuclear activities comply with the safeguards protocol of the UN nuclear agency and emphasised Tehran’s commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. AFP