[Iran Press TV] Germany's national security council has approved a controversial deal to sell nuclear-capable submarines to the Israeli regime, a report says.
The leading German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel, reported on Friday that the Federal Security Council had approved the deal, without giving any sources for the information.
It added that the $1.5-billion purchase included three Dolphin-class submarines, to be manufactured by the Germany-based conglomerate ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
Each of the submarines is said to be capable of carrying a total of up to 16 torpedoes and submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM). The SLCMs have a range of at least 1,500 kilometers and are believed to be capable of delivering a 200-kiloton nuclear warhead. Israel already has five such submarines.
In mid-November last year, a report broadcast by Israel’s Channel 10 claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal attorney and long-time confidant, David Shimron, had actually served as a local representative of ThyssenKrupp, arousing suspicions over the premier's personal interests in the deal.
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