Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that a preemptive military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be less costly for Israel than Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon.

In an address Wednesday to the Israeli army’s National Security College, Barak said the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran “would be many times more complex, dangerous and costly, both in terms of human life and in terms of resources, than a preemptive strike.”

Also speaking at the National Security Council, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is “committed to doing everything it possibly can in order to stop Iran from going nuclear,” according to the Times of Israel.

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The statements come as the U.S. Congress is readying to approve a package of sanctions on Iran that are aimed at further mitigating Iranian oil revenues, according to The Jerusalem Post. The sanctions would cut down on electronic fund transfers from Iranian banks and also reduce transactions with Iranian national oil and tanker companies.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the majority leader, called the sanctions a “critical tool to help stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program” that would ensure “the security of our ally, the State of Israel.”

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