Problematic countries are not the ones which have refused to sign the NPT, Netanyahu said in an interview with French-language daily Le Figaro on Friday.

The Israeli premier accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons despite being a signatory to the NPT.

He said Iran should not possess heavy water reactors or centrifuges, stressing Israel and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf are united in their stance against the Iranian nuclear issue.

Netanyahu labeled Tehran as an aggressive and violent state which poses a threat to the US and European countries such as France and Britain.

He called on France to stand firm on its stance against Iran in the upcoming nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -Russia, China, US, UK, and France- plus Germany.

Israel is widely believed to be the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East with an estimated 200 to 400 nuclear warheads.

The Israeli regime, which rejects all regulatory international nuclear agreements, particularly the NPT, maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity over its nuclear activities and refuses to allow its nuclear facilities to come under international regulatory inspections.

A report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in September indicated that Israel has at least 80 operative nuclear warheads and has enough material to make more than 190 bombs.

The regime has been threatening Iran with military strikes for years and recently it has been lobbying hard to prevent a possible deal between Iran and world powers over its nuclear program.

SHI/SHI