Iran has reacted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s charges that the Islamic Republic has archived its know-how related to the development of nuclear arms, calling his speech a “childish presentation.” On April 30, Netanyahu accused Tehran of having a secret nuclear weapons program, called Amad, and charged that Tehran had continued to pursue such arms even after the project was shuttered in 2003.

Iranian officials believe that Netanyahu made these allegations as part of his plan to influence US President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to waive sanctions related to the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12. Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom) plus Germany in 2015.

In an interview on Iranian state television, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi described Netanyahu’s presentation on the matter as “childish” and “ridiculous.” Araghchi, who had been a senior negotiator for the nuclear deal talks, said, “That Netanyahu performs a show 10 days before Trump’s announcement of his decision about the JCPOA indicates that this is [pre-]meditated theater for influencing Trump’s decision, and that they are seeking to set the stage for scrapping the JCPOA. And it is interesting that everyone has become mobilized [to kill the deal], and the Zionist regime has entered the stage at the highest level.”

Araghchi added, “We are prepared for all scenarios, but the very nature of these allegations and actions shows how much the United States, the Zionist regime and Saudi Arabia are concerned and angry about the JCPOA and the conditions that this agreement has created for Iran.”