Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the retaliatory attack Jerusalem launched on Iran in late October degraded part of Tehran’s nuclear program.

“It’s not a secret,” Netanyahu said in a Knesset speech reported by the Times of Israel. “There is a specific component in their nuclear program that was hit in this attack.”

Despite the prime minister’s comments, it had not previously been confirmed by Israeli officials that Tehran’s coveted nuclear program, which it has been attempting to beef up since the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement in 2018, had been targeted in last month’s strike.

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Israeli security officials confirmed that military sites had been targeted during the overnight strike on Oct. 26 that caused concern among global leaders about an all-out war as the two nations ramp up direct lines of attack on one another.

The international community, along with the Biden administration, attempted to re-enter into negotiations with Tehran to counter its nuclear development, though to no avail.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), earlier this year warned that Iran’s nuclear program has largely run unchecked for the last six years, and it is believed to have increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals to 60% purity levels; just shy of weapons-grade uranium, which is enriched to 90% purity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the opening of the 25th Knesset session in Jerusalem on Oct. 28, 2024. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)

But IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned that Iran’s nuclear facilities should not become a target as Israel ramps up direct operations against Tehran.

Netanyahu did not expand on how Iran’s nuclear program has been affected after the strikes last month, but on Monday he reportedly said it was not enough to have entirely blocked Iran’s path to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has analyzed where Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is located as Israel mulls a retaliatory attack. (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

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Israel destroyed an active nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, roughly 20 miles southeast of Tehran.

Grossi visited two Iranian nuclear sites last week and said he would engage in high-level talks with Tehran in a push to get Iran to adhere to international agreements and nuclear safeguards.

In a message later posted to X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was ready to engage in international talks but noted Tehran would not succumb to pressure as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with what many believe will be a much stronger approach when it comes to Iran.

An Iranian Qadr H long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile (AP Photo/Fars News Agency/Omid Vahabzadeh/File)

“The ball is in the EU/E3 court,” the foreign minister said in reference to three European countries, France, Britain and Germany, that represent Western interests, including the U.S., during nuclear talks.

“Willing to negotiate based on our national interest and inalienable rights but not ready to negotiate under pressure and intimidation,” Araghchi said.

Representatives of the fossil fuel sector have a strong presence at COP29.

According to a report by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition, a body of 450 NGOs, up to 1,773 lobbyists travelled to Baku for the United Nations climate conference.

What’s even more head-scratching is that 113 of them were accompanying various European national government delegations.

“Greece led the way with 24, while Italy had 22,” explained Marcella Via of Corporate Europe Observatory, a member of the coalition, followed by Sweden (17) and Belgium (13).

She adds that “Greece and Italy are the countries that buy the most gas from Azerbaijan. It is therefore not surprising that they have so many fossil fuel lobbyists.” Euronews contacted both countries but has yet to receive any comment.

Rome and Athens are counting on the southern European gas corridor linking Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey. This pipeline could be extended to carry gas from the Middle East, Central Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. If completed, it should be able to transport at least 10 billion cubic metres of gas a year.

Civil society is also denouncing the conclusion of trade agreements at COP29. The report mentions an agreement as early as the second day of the conference between Italgas and SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic), Azerbaijan’s national oil and gas company.

On the other hand, however, the report also points out that the European Commission did not include any lobbyists from the sector in its delegation, unlike last year in Dubai.

At his hearing in early November, the European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoestra “received increasing pressure from civil society not to bring in any fossil fuel lobbyists,” Marcella Via points out.

Also at his hearing before the MEPs, Hoestra said that “he would support the policy on the fight against conflict of interest at United Nations climate negotiations. And we really, really hope that he will keep his word,” she continued.

A large delegation

The 1,773 lobbyists that have travelled to Azerbaijan’s capital represent companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Eni and TotalEnergies.

Though there were fewer than last year’s 2,500 total at COP28, the NGOs point out that the lower overall number of participants in Baku compared to Dubai in 2023 means that the proportion of lobbyists has remained high.

The NGO coalition points out that lobbyists outnumber the number of attendees from the national delegations present in Baku, with the only exceptions being host country Azerbaijan, Brazil – who will be the host next year – and Turkey.

Fossil fuel lobbyists received more passes to COP29 than all the delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined.