Israel against easing sanctions on Iran

Israel has called upon world powers not to ease economic sanctions imposed on Tehran maintaining that only such penalties can ensure a genuine diplomatic solution with Iran.

The Israeli security cabinet, which convened late Monday to discuss the upcoming talks of the P5+ 1 nations with Iran, observed that: "Now is an opportune moment to reach a genuine diplomatic solution that peacefully ends Iran's nuclear weapons programme. However, this could only be realised if the international community continues to put pressure on Iran and not ease the sanctions prematurely."

"Only sanctions can ensure a genuine diplomatic solution with Iran," Xinhua cited the security cabinet's resolution, sent to reporters by the Prime Minister's Office Tuesday morning, as sating.

"Israel does not oppose Iran having a peaceful nuclear energy programme ... peaceful programmes do not require uranium enrichment or plutonium production. Iran's nuclear weapons programme does," the cabinet statement said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani repeatedly stressed that the Iranian nuclear programme is meant for peaceful purposes only and has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "pessimistic" stance.

Officials of P5+1 nations - namely the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - are meeting Iranian officials Tuesday in Geneva, amid Iran's recent overtures towards the US.

Netanyahu is campaigning against what he dubs "the Iranian smiling campaign" and says that Iran is using diplomacy to mask its ongoing pursuits to achieve nuclear capabilities.

However, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal Tuesday morning, US President Barack Obama is positively weighing an option to let Iran keep its uranium-enrichment facilities and the uranium already enriched.