Gantz tells graduating pilots they could be striking Iran in '2 or 3 years'

Israel could attack Iranian nuclear sites in two or three years, its defence minister has said, in an unusually explicit comments about a possible timeline.

"In two or three years, you may be traversing the skies eastward and taking part in an attack on nuclear sites in Iran," Defence Minister Benny Gantz told graduating air force cadets in a speech on Wednesday.

With international efforts to renew a 2015 nuclear deal having stalled, the Iranians have ramped up uranium enrichment, a process with civilian uses that can also eventually yield fuel for nuclear bombs — though they deny having any such design.

Experts say Iran could potentially raise the fissile purity of its uranium to weapons-grade in short order, but building a deliverable warhead would take it years, they say — an estimate echoed by an Israeli military intelligence general this month.

For over a decade, Israel has issued veiled threats to attack Iranian nuclear facilities if it deems world powers' diplomacy with Tehran has reached a dead end.

READ MORE: Iran executes 4 people convicted of spying for Israel: Judiciary

Stalled talks

Indirect talks between Iran and the US on reviving the nuclear deal, which started in April, have stalled since August. 

One of the key sticking points has been Iran's demand that the UN nuclear watchdog drop its investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran. 

On December 5, Iran said it won't accept resuming talks on the 2015 nuclear deal under pressure and threats.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the landmark agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate by taking steps away from its nuclear-related commitments. 

It has since gone on to surpass limits on the amount of uranium it is allowed to possess, as well as the levels to which it is allowed to enrich the nuclear material.

READ MORE: Iran thwarts 'terrorist operations' linked to Israel's Mossad — state TV