No peace talks with Iran, goal is to stop nukes: Israel's UN Envoy

Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon denied knowledge of peace talks with Iran, asserting that joint US-Israel military operations will continue to dismantle Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities and weaken the regime, despite a US overture for a deal.

Israel Denies Peace Talk Participation

Israel's Envoy to the United Nations Danny Danon has denied any knowledge of possible peace talks between Iran, the United States and Israel. Addressing a media stakeout at the United Nations on Tuesday (local time) he said the goal was to ensure that Iran did not gain nuclear capability. "I'm not familiar with our participation in such talks. It's important to note that we continue with the operation. As we speak, Israel and the US, we continue to target military targets in Iran. We'll continue to do that. Now, when you speak about negotiations, we know that at the end of any operation or conflict, you have to go to diplomacy. And we will make sure that the outcome will be that Iran will not have the nuclear capability, will not have the ballistic missiles capability, and that we will achieve the goals that we put forward only a month ago. I think we accomplished a lot. I'm not sure that the Iranians realize that, but we accomplished a lot. We have weakened the regime. But we have to make sure that we don't create the condition for them to go back to where they were. We want to create a different reality on the ground," he said.

Israel a 'Stabilizing Force', Iran a 'Problem'

The Israeli envoy claimed that Israel had always advocated for peace in the region while the Islamic regime was the opposite. "One should ask himself about every nation: who is bringing stabilization to the area, and who is bringing chaos? Israel is a stabilizing force in the region. We want peace. Allow me to answer that. We sign peace treaties, we promote peace, we pray for peace. When you look at the Iranian regime, they are doing exactly the opposite. They have attacked 13 countries in one month. You know, Israel exists for 77 years. We never had war with 13 countries combined. So today you understand that Iran is a problem for instability and Israel is a source for peace and stability. Thank you," Danon said.

Envoy Addresses UN Security Council

Earlier, addressing the UN Security Council, Dannon accused the Iranian regime of backing terror elements like Hamas. "The Iranian regime armed proxies like Hamas, funded terror, and prepared for this moment. And now we are dismantling it. Together with our American allies, Israel has carried out over 8,500 strikes targeting missile launchers, weapons production facilities, and command centres. We have destroyed key elements of the regime's command structure. We have eliminated the figures driving this aggression," he said.

'Existential' Threat and Civilian Impact

"Now they are trying to blackmail the international community. It will not work, and we cannot allow it to work. Today, these missiles carry conventional warheads. Imagine what they could do if they had nuclear ones. There is a cost to this operation: for Israelis, for our neighbours across the Gulf, and for the Iranian people. It is not a cost we ignore, but it is a cost we cannot afford to avoid because the threat we are facing is existential. For weeks, Israelis have lived in and out from bomb shelters, day after day, under Iranian missile fire. Just this weekend, Iranian missiles struck civilian areas in Arad and Dimona. This is the intent of the regime: to cause bloodshed, to kill, and to destroy our people," he added.

US President Signals End of War

The Israeli envoy's remarks came even as US President signalled that peace overtures were being made with Iran and that the war was coming to an end. "We're in negotiations right now. I can tell you, they'd like to make a deal and who wouldn't if you were there? Look, their navy's gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. pretty much everything they have is gone. I think we are going to end it. I cannot tell you for sure. We have won this... We literally have planes flying over Tehran and other parts of their country. They can't do a thing about it. For instance, if I want to take down that power plant, they can't do a thing about it... They are totally defeated... Militarily, they are dead," he said.

Iran Denies Negotiations, Continues Strikes

There has however been no formal response from the Iranian side to the latest overture from Trump. The Iranians on Tuesday had denied reports of any negotiations with the US claiming that peace would only be achieved once US-Israel stopped its campaign. With the Iranian military taking a belligerent stand even as it launched wave 80 of its retaliatory strikes, peace remains elusive in West Asia. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)