Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disclosed files which he said could "prove" Iran's secret development of nuclear weapons.
In an address broadcast live on all main TV channels in Israel, Netanyahu on Monday lifted a curtain, revealing shelves housing what he said was part of Iran's nuclear archive, Xinhua news agency reported.
Israeli spy agencies obtained 55,000 pages and 183 CDs from Iran's "secret nuclear archive", he noted.
These files provide a "conclusive evidence" that Iran had deceived the international community since the deal was signed in 2015, Netanyahu said.
The nuclear deal was designed to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the removal of international sanctions on Iran.
More From This Section
"Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons program," the Israeli prime minister said. "Even after the deal, Iran continued to preserve and expand its nuclear weapons know-how for future use" at the Fordow nuclear testing site.
The disclosure came ahead of US President Donald Trump's looming deadline to decide whether to extend the waiver on nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to scrap the deal, which was signed between Iran and the world powers during the presidency of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.
Netanyahu said Israel has shared the documents with the US.
Trump "will do the right thing for the US, the people of Israel and the peace of the world", Netanyahu concluded.
On Monday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused Netanyahu of deception.
"The boy who can't stop crying wolf is at it again. You can only fool some of the people so many times," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.
Israel has been increasingly worried over Iran's growing efforts to develop long-range missiles and establish a military foothold in war-torn Syria.
--IANS
pgh/