(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks from earlier today (Monday, 10 March 2014) at the Eilat navy base:

"There are those who would prefer that we do not hold this news conference here today. They feel uncomfortable that we show what is really happening inside Iran. They prefer that we continue to nurture the illusion that Iran has changed direction. They’re not prepared to recognize that Iran, a brutal regime, has not abandoned its deep involvement in terrorism, its systematic efforts to undermine peace and security throughout the Middle East, and its ambition to destroy the State of Israel.

The weapons on this ship were destined for terrorists in Gaza who are committed to Israel’s destruction. The goal was to have these weapons rain down on the heads of Israel’s citizens. The ship was organized by Iran, dispatched by Iran, financed by Iran. The missiles were loaded by Iran in Iran.


  M-302 rockets found on board the Klos-C
  Copyright: IDF Spokesperson

As usual Iran denies these facts. In fact, its foreign minister calls these facts ‘failed lies.’ But it’s Iran who’s lying. Our intelligence services exposed the ship’s wayward route and Iran’s efforts to disguise it; they exposed the ship’s deadly cargo, and its intended destination.

I appreciate the close cooperation of the intelligence services of the United States that have verified all these facts. The forged bill of lading that was presented to you here proves how Iran tries to disguise the loading of the weapons contained in this ship, the loading of the weapon containers on its own soil.




Manifest of 100 containers with bags of Iranian cement used to conceal the weapon shipment
Copyright: IDF Spokesperson

The ship’s crew testified how they loaded the containers which contained the weapons unknown to them in the main port of Iran, Bandar Abbas. In other words, Iran sent these missiles to terrorists, and Iran is brazenly lying.

So Iran hasn’t changed. Iran’s true ruler is not the smiling Rouhani – he’s nothing more than a PR man. The real ruler of Iran is the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is aptly called the Supreme Leader.

What is new? Are not Iran’s deeds or its lies but the desire of many in the international community to bury their heads in the sand? They conveniently ignore Iran’s continued criminal aggression in the mass killings in Syria; in supporting the terrorist organizations in Lebanon, in Gaza; in subversion throughout the Middle East; in dispatching terrorists to five continents; in the execution of hundreds of innocent people inside Iran every year. Above all, they deceive themselves into believing that Iran has given up its goal of developing nuclear weapons.

This determination to ignore the truth, that was exposed once again with the capture of the ship, is first of all hypocritical. I said a moment ago that at most I heard a few faint condemnations of Iran from the international community after we intercepted this murderous shipment. We even saw representatives of the world powers shaking hands and smiling with the heads of Iran’s regime, at the same time we were unloading these missiles here in Eilat.

And by contrast, if we build some apartment or some balcony in a neighborhood of Jerusalem, we hear a chorus of vociferous international condemnations against the State of Israel.

This is not only farcical, it’s dangerous. Because the willingness to ignore Iran’s real fallacies is highly irresponsible. Just as Iran hid its deadly missiles in the belly of this ship, Iran is hiding its actions and its intentions and many of its key installations for developing nuclear weapons.

Does anyone truly believe that Iran has given up its plans to develop nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Europe and the United States?

The missiles that we uncovered today were intended to strike at the citizens of Israel. The intercontinental ballistic missiles that Iran is developing are intended to strike at the citizens of the West. Come to think of it, Iran might not need ICBMs. Just as they concealed these weapons in containers on this ship, they could tomorrow conceal in other containers the ultimate weapon, nuclear weapons, which they could ship to any port in the world.

So my message today is simple: those engaged in self-deception must awaken from their slumber."