Israel PM vows to work against Iran's nuclear deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would continue to act in all possible venues against the deal between Iran and world powers over Tehran's nuclear program.

"We will continue to take all possible actions to deny the largest terrorist state the ability to produce the most dangerous weapons which is aimed - first and foremost - against us," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, according to a statement from his office.

The Israeli prime minister also claimed that his speech to the U.S. Congress last week may have influenced the P5+1 countries (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia and China) to refrain from rushing into a bad nuclear deal with Iran.

"Following my speech to Congress, we heard - over the weekend - several of the major powers' foreign ministers saying that they do not see the need to reach an agreement forthwith and that they will wait until the right agreement is found," Netanyahu said, adding that he hopes "these words will find tangible expression."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday after talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that he did not feel a sense of urgency to get any deal with Iran, saying "we have to get the right deal."

Over the weekend, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the Iranian delegates are not going out of their way to meet their P5+1 counterparts and that there is still a lot of work left to be done on the agreement.

Fabius held on Saturday a meeting with members of the EU countries from the P5+1 countries in order to discuss and question the elements of the upcoming deal, following a round of talks between Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that a good agreement "links lifting the restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program and the cessation of Iran's terrorist actions around the world."

"The right agreement is one that extends by years Iran's break-out time to achieve a bomb, given the feasibility of violating the agreement. As of now, the deal being formulated will allow Iran a break-out time of a year or less," he added.

Netanyahu has been known for his hardline approach against Iran, citing it as an existential threat to the state of Israel, whereas Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful purposes, with Iranian leaders saying Netanyahu's stance is plain "fear mongering."

The P5+1 countries started negotiating with Iran in mid-2013 and reached an interim deal in November of that year, which Netanyahu then called a "historic mistake."

Netanyahu's political opponents in Israel say his insistence on stressing the danger of a nuclear Iran is to deviate the agenda in Israel from handling domestic socio-economic issues, amid the spiraling costs of living and the housing crisis, among other topics.

Netanyah's main political rival in the upcoming March 17 elections, head of the Zionist Union Yitzhak Herzog, said that the prime minister's speech in the Congress was political propaganda aimed at audience back home, at the cost of damaging the U.S.-Israeli relations. Endit