Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Mar 08, 2026

Iran lied about banned nuclear activity using stolen documents - Israel

Iran lied about banned nuclear activity using stolen documents - Israel

Israel's prime minister says Iran used documents stolen from the global atomic watchdog to help conceal that it was carrying out banned nuclear activity.

In a video, Naftali Bennett said Iran "lied to the world and Iran is lying to the world again right now."

He showed what he said were copies of Iran's "deception plan", including handwritten notes in Persian which said Iran needed to prepare a "cover story".

Iran denies it had a secret programme, saying Israel forged the alleged proof.

It has not yet responded to Mr Bennett's claims.

The prime minister's declaration comes ahead of a meeting next week where International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is due to present a report on its probe into unexplained nuclear material found at three undeclared sites in Iran.

The report says "Iran has not provided explanations that are technically credible in relation to the Agency's findings at those locations," according to Reuters news agency, which has seen the report.

Iran's foreign ministry said the report was "not fair and balanced".

Western countries suspect Iran might be seeking to build nuclear weapons in violation of conventions - something Iran strongly denies. Israel considers Iran, which does not recognise Israel's right to exist and calls for its elimination, a major threat to both Israel and the wider world.

Talks between global powers and Iran to try to revive a frayed 2015 deal curbing Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions have stalled. Iran has been pursuing activity barred under the deal after the US pulled out in 2018 and restored sanctions.

On Monday the IAEA said Iran's estimated stockpile of enriched uranium - material which can be used to make reactor fuel but also potentially nuclear bombs - was 18 times higher than allowed under the 2015 deal.

In his video message, Mr Bennett said he was holding "proof of [Iran's] lies in my hands".

"After Iran stole classified documents from the UN's atomic agency, Iran used that information to figure out what the atomic agency was hoping to find, and then created cover stories and hid evidence to evade their nuclear probes."


He said documents taken by Israeli intelligence agents in a daring raid on a warehouse in Tehran in 2018 contained proof of Iran's subterfuge.

He showed copies of the documents, including what he said were handwritten notes in Persian by Iran's then-defence minister to its top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Mr Bennett said one read: "Sooner or later, they [the IAEA] will ask us and we'll need to have a comprehensive cover story for them."

Mr Fakhrizadeh was killed by a satellite-controlled machine-gun in Tehran in November 2020 in an assassination which Iran blamed on Israel and an exiled opposition group.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

Iran has previously said the materials Israel says it took from the warehouse were fake.


In 2018, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled what he claimed to be Iran's secret atomic archive


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran While Expanding Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Widening Middle East War
Iran’s President Rejects U.S. Surrender Demand as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Gulf States
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Swarm Targeting Strategic Shaybah Oil Field
Pakistan Faces Growing Pressure to Balance Ties With Iran and Saudi Arabia as Regional War Intensifies
Middle East Conflict Tests Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision to Transform Saudi Arabia Into a Global Hub
Proposed U.S.–Saudi Nuclear Deal Could Ease Traditional Nonproliferation Requirements
Iran Claims Strike on U.S.-Linked Oil Tanker Near Saudi Waters as Maritime Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Says Air Defences Destroyed 23 Drones and Three Missiles Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran Against ‘Miscalculation’ After Missile and Drone Attacks Across Gulf
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Across Gulf as Air Defences Activate in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
Iran Launches Fresh Missile and Drone Attacks Across Middle East as Regional War Intensifies
Saudi Arabia Opens Direct Communication Channel With Iran in Bid to Prevent Wider Regional War
Saudi Arabia Maintains Strong Fiscal Position Despite Global Uncertainty, Finance Ministry Says
Saudi Arabia Considers Response After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Major Northern Oil Refinery
Saudi Carrier Flynas Plans Limited Flight Resumption to Dubai Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia and UAE Pledge Close Coordination to Secure Oil Supplies for Japan
Middle East Conflict Casts Doubt Over Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races
Iran Rejects Claims of Attacks on Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Strikes Targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Matches Despite Escalating Regional Conflict
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues Emergency Security Alert After Drone Strike and Escalating Regional Threats
Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Redirect Oil Exports as Gulf Storage Nears Capacity
Iran Expresses Gratitude to Saudi Arabia for Closing Airspace During Escalating Conflict
Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Strikes Could Target Senior Leaders as Regional War Escalates
Iran Says Its Strikes Target Only U.S. Military Assets and Denies Attacking Saudi Arabia
Drone Strike Hits U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as Middle East Conflict Escalates
Tom Brady’s Saudi Flag Football Event May Shift to U.S. as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Plans
Iran War Strikes Saudi Arabia at a Critical Moment for Its Economic Transformation
Saudi Cabinet Declares Kingdom Will Take All Necessary Measures to Defend National Security
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Fourteen Middle Eastern Countries as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery Targeted Again in Second Drone Attack Within Two Days
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Fixtures Despite Rising Middle East Conflict
Trump Pursues Major Civil Nuclear Agreement With Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Turmoil
Mass Drone Attacks Strike Gulf States as Iran Conflict Spreads Across Region
No Verified Confirmation of Ronaldo Departure Linked to Iran Conflict or AFC Suspension
No Verified Evidence of Israeli Intelligence Arrests in Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Drone Attack Forces Temporary Shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Largest Oil Refinery
Israel Intensifies Air Campaign in Tehran as Iran Expands Regional Retaliation
Iranian Strikes Escalate Middle East Conflict, Drawing Saudi Arabia Closer to Wider War
No Verified Confirmation of Drone Strike on King Fahd Causeway Amid Regional Tensions
No Verified Evidence Saudi Crown Prince Is Seeking to Weaken Israel Amid Regional Tensions
×