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Israel's PM concerned over Iran's compliance with nuclear deal

Xinhua, April 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced fear that Iran will comply with a nuclear deal reached with world powers earlier this month until a final deal is sealed by the end of June, the Ha'aretz daily revealed on Sunday.

This came during a cabinet meeting held on April 3, a day after Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the Untied States -- reached after nine-day talks in Lausanne of Switzerland a framework accord on parameters of Iran's nuclear program with a view of sealing a final comprehensive deal by the end of June.

During the meeting, Netanyahu said he was afraid that "the Iranians will keep to every letter in the agreement if indeed one is signed at the end of June," two Israeli officials were quoted as saying by the daily.

The officials told the daily that Netanyahu expressed his concern that if the Iranians live up to the agreement, the international community would become "complacent" over the prospects of a nuclear bomb.

"Netanyahu said at the meeting that it would be impossible to catch the Iranians cheating simply because they will not break the agreement," one of the officials told the Ha'aretz daily.

He said that Netanyahu said the Iranians could have a seal of approval from the international community to go ahead and develop nuclear bombs after the 10 to 15 year period of the agreement.

The Israeli Prime Minister is known for his hardline approach against the Iranian nuclear program. He believes nuclear Iran will be an "existential threat" to the state of Israel and to the entire Middle East, although the Iranians insist their nuclear plan is aimed at peaceful purposes.

Netanyahu slammed the recent framework agreement, saying it would "threaten the survival of Israel," adding that Israel "will not accept an agreement that allows a country that vows to annihilate it to develop nuclear weapons, period."

He decried the fact that the program keeps intact a fixed amount of centrifuges to enrich uranium and enables Iran to carry on its nuclear research and development, while lifting the economic sanctions Iran had suffered from for a decade over its nuclear program. Endit