SCHIEFFER: And now to the big story overseas, the Middle East,
where instability in Cairo, the still raging civil war in Syria, and the
continued push for nuclear weapons in Iran has left Israel right in the middle.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joins us this morning from Jerusalem. Prime
Minister, thank you so much. We'll get to Egypt and Syria in a minute. But I
want to start with Iran this morning because you said last September that Iran
would have the capability to build a nuclear weapon by this summer. It is
summer, are they there yet?
NETANYAHU: I said if they
continue to enrich at the same rate they will get there. They have taken heed
of the red line that I sketched out at the U.N. They're still approaching it
and they're approach after the Iranian elections. They're building ICBMs to
reach American -- the American mainland within a few years. They're pursuing an
alternate route of plutonium, that is enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb.
One route, plutonium. Another route, ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles
to reach you. They don't need these missiles to reach us, they already have
missiles that can reach us. They're doing that after the election. So they
haven't yet reached it but they're getting closer to it. And they have to be
stopped.
SCHIEFFER: There are reports in
Israel, and our sources confirm, Prime Minister, that you want the United
States to harden its position on Iran immediately and convey to the new
government there that if Iran does not halt the nuclear program, its regime
will not survive. NETANYAHU: I think the important thing is what the U.S. has
said. They said the words won't influence us, what really counts is what the
Iranians do. And what they have to do is stop their nuclear program. They have
to stop all enrichment of nuclear material, to take out enriched uranium, to
dismantle the illegal -- and shut down the illegal nuclear facility in Qom.
These are the right demands and those should be back up with ratcheted
sanctions. You should ratchet up the sanctions and make it clear to Iran that
they won't get away with it. And if sanctions don't work then they have to know
that you'll be prepared to take military action. That's the only thing that
will get their attention.
SCHIEFFER: Well, do you believe
that the United States, there are reports that you feel the United States has
been too patient, a little too tolerant in dealing with the Iranians. Are you
asking the United States to take a harder line?
NETANYAHU: I think we've spoken
many times, President Obama and I, about the need to prevent Iran from getting
nuclear weapons. I know that is the U.S. policy. What is important is to convey
to them, especially after the elections, that that policy will not change and
that it will be backed up by increasingly forceful sanctions and military
action. Now mind you, there is a new president in Iran, he believes -- he's
criticizing his predecessor for being a wolf in wolf's clothing. His strategy
is, be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Smile and build a bomb. He brags about the
fact that he talked to the Europeans while completing a nuclear conversion plan
in Isfahan. So I think they can't be allowed to get away with it. They're
getting closer and closer to the bomb and they have to be told in no uncertain
terms that that will not be allowed to happen. I think it's important to
understand that we cannot allow it to happen. You know, our clocks are ticking
in a different pace. We're closer than the United States. We're more
vulnerable. And therefore we'll have to address this question of how to stop
Iran, perhaps before the United States does. But as the prime minister of
Israel, I'm determined to do whatever is necessary to defend my country, the
one and only Jewish state, from a regime that threatens us with renewed
annihilation.
SCHIEFFER: Well, the United
States has said that we won't tolerate a nuclear Iran. What else can we say?
NETANYAHU: I think it's very
important to make clear to them that you won't allow them to have this weapon
and to demonstrate that by action. That is, you can also make clear that the
nuclear option which is -- the military option which is on the table is truly
on the table. The Iranians take note of that. Right now my sense is in the
international community as a whole that because so many things are happening in
the Middle East, things are happening, as you say, in Syria, in Egypt, with the
Palestinians, there are many important issues that we have to deal with. And I
have a sense that there's no sense of urgency. And yet on Iran -- and yet Iran
is the most important, the most urgent matter of all. You should just talk to
many of the leaders in this region and they will tell you that. Because all the
problems that we have, however important, will be dwarfed by this messianic,
apocalyptic, extreme regime that would have atomic bombs. It would make a
terrible -- a catastrophic change for the world and for the United States, of
course, for my country as well. So I think we have our eyes fixed on Iran. They
have to know that we're serious. They have to know that there won't be an
alternative route that they could reach the bomb if they think that, and they
think we'll let them do it, if they think that Israel will let them do it,
they're sorely mistaken.
SCHIEFFER: Well, what -- how
close are they right now? Are they within a month? Are they within six months
of having the capability? How close do you think they are?
NETANYAHU: They're closer. The
most difficult thing in making a bomb is making the fissile nuclear material
that is at the heart of the bomb. That is really the 90 percent of the effort,
if I have to just put a thumb's rule on it. And they're getting closer. They
have now about 190 kilos out of the 250 kilos of 20 percent enriched uranium.
They had six, seven months -- eight months ago about 110 kilos. So they're
edging up to the red line. They haven't closed -- they haven't crossed it yet.
They're also building faster centrifuges that will enable them to jump the
line, so to speak, at a much faster rate, that is within a few weeks, once they
get to that critical mass of 250 kilos.
SCHIEFFER: When...
NETANYAHU: They're not there yet. They're getting closer. They
should be -- they should understand that they are not going to be allowed to
cross it.
SCHIEFFER: When will you make a
decision on whether to attack Iran, because you have said, this will not stand?
NETANYAHU: Well, I can tell you I
won't wait until it's too late.
SCHIEFFER: All right. I guess
we'll leave it there. Let's talk a little bit about Egypt. You were worried
when the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in Egypt and installed Morsi as
president. He's now gone. Are you happy about that?
NETANYAHU: Well, look, we've been
concerned with one thing. That is the maintenance of the Egyptian-Israeli peace
treaty. It's been -- it's been the cornerstone of peace between us and our
neighbors, and it's also been the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East.
And our concern, through changing administrations -- first Mubarak changed;
Morsi came; now Morsi went, and we will see what develops in Egypt. Our concern
throughout has been maintain the peace treaty. That was and remains my
principal concern.
SCHIEFFER: The United States --
some here are saying we ought to cut off military aid to this interim
government now until they have a democracy there. Do you think we should?
NETANYAHU: Look, that's an
internal American decision. But, again, our concern is the peace treaty with
Egypt. One of the foundations of that peace treaty was the U.S. aid given to
Egypt.
SCHIEFFER: Had you talked to
people in this interim government? Can you deal with them? Do you trust them?
NETANYAHU: We maintain contacts
with -- formal contacts with the Egyptian government throughout the last two
years, and including now. And the important thing from our point of view is not
merely to maintain the peace but also stabilize the Sinai peninsula, which is
Egyptian territory that is adjacent to our southern border, the Negev. It's
been fraying there. There are a lot of terrorists. There are jihadists. There's
Al Qaida, Hamas, you name it. They're all over the place. And our -- our
concern is to prevent attacks against our territory and against our city, our
southern city of Eilat. We've been doing that and will continue to do that. So
our main concern in our contacts with the Egyptian government is to make sure
that the peace is preserved and that terror is prevented. And this remains
uppermost in my mind.
SCHIEFFER: Reports this morning
that...
NETANYAHU: Well, not uppermost,
Bob; uppermost in my mind -- uppermost in my mind -- uppermost in my mind is
preventing the greatest terror of all. And that is that the radical Islamist
regime in Iran gets the weapons of ultimate terror, nuclear weapons. That has
to be prevented for the sake of peace, world peace, not only our survival but
your vital interests. And I think the flow of history will judge us if we're
able or unable to prevent this catastrophe.
SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you just
one question on the Syrian civil war. Reports this morning that Israel carried
out an attack in Syria this month that targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles
sold to the Syrian government by Russia -- can you tell us anything about that?
NETANYAHU: Oh, God, every time
something happens in the Middle East, Israel is accused. Most often, it's
accused -- and I'm not in the habit of saying what we did or we didn't do. I'll
tell you what my policy is. My policy is to prevent the transfer of dangerous
weapons to Hezbollah and other terror groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon and other
terror groups as well. And we stand by that policy.
SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, Mr. Prime
Minister, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Wish you the best, and
I'll be back in a minute with some thoughts on Washington and why it can't seem
to get anything done.
