Amid nuke talks, Barak says Iran must halt uranium enrichment

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday that Iran must halt enriching uranium, in the most senior Israeli response to an internationally backed draft plan that calls for Tehran to ship its uranium abroad for enrichment.

"I repeat that the cessation of enrichment by Iran is needed, and not just the removal of the enriched material... and a short and limited time for discussion is needed," Barak said at the closing ceremony of the second Peres Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.

"This agreement - if it is ever signed - will manage to turn back the accumulation of the enriched material in Iran by about a year. But this is a mixed blessing."

The defense minister added that if Iran did not stop the enrichment, the only consequence of the agreement would be that the Islamic Republic would have received legitimacy for enriching uranium on its soil for civilian purposes.

This would be, Barak said, "in clear opposition to the understanding of the parties dealing with [Iran], and their understanding of the real program: to reach a nuclear capability."

Barak's comments came after Israel's national security adviser instructed all government officials involved in the Iranian nuclear issue not to respond to media reports on the draft agreement.

Uzi Arad, who heads the National Security Council, issued the directive to officials in the Foreign Ministry, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces.

A senior political source in Jerusalem said the directive was issued because Israel wishes to ascertain the details of the draft agreement and to ensure media reports on the deal are accurate.

Despite Arad's instructions, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said Wednesday that the campaign to pressure the Islamic Republic seems to be bearing fruit.

"This proves how important international pressure is," Vilnai told Army Radio. "Iran is more susceptible to pressure than we may believe."

Even if Iran agrees to the plan to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, world powers need to keep pressure on Tehran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapon capabilities, he said.

Vilnai said Israel would examine the UN draft agreement cautiously, "paying attention to every detail," to make sure Iran was not just trying to buy time.

Israel would also like to verify whether the deal reflects the positions of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United States and European countries.

Defense officials and intelligence experts are still trying to understand the basis for the agreement, which was presented by IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei.

A senior defense source said the entire story seems strange, and it remains unclear how this agreement came about.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Wednesday with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is spearheading talks with Tehran on behalf of the Western powers.

Officials in the prime minister's bureau refused to state whether the reported deal came up in Netanyahu's talks with Solana.

Netanyahu discussed the Iranian issue in his conversation with the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

Rice, who addressed the President's Conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, said the U.S. would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, and would not ease pressure on Iran over this issue.