Israel, Greece, Cyprus, UAE hold strategic meeting

The Foreign Ministers held bilateral meetings before holding a four-way meeting; there are plans for the officials from the four countries to convene regularly, both at the ministerial and professional working levels.

At a joint press conference, Ashkenazi emphasized that Israel will do whatever is needed to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons. “We also took time to discuss challenges that Iran and Hezbollah and other extremists pose to the stability of the Middle East and to the regional peace.” He said Israel will do whatever it takes to block malevolent actions and “prevent this regime from having nuclear weapons.”

While the Zionist regime, as well as Western countries, concern about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, it is believed that Israel possesses between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest report, adding, however, the true number of Israeli nuclear weapons remains a closely guarded secret.

SIPRI said Israel continues to pursue a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program.

In 2015, the Washington DC-based Institute for Science and International Security said that the Zionist regime has produced 115 nuclear warheads since it began making them in 1963.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and Iran, especially on the maritime front, and while discussions are undergoing in Vienna on a possible renewed nuclear agreement between Tehran and Washington. Still, the Iranian threat was just one of a series of issues discussed by the foreign affairs leaders of the four sides.