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Netanyahu says Iran nuclear deal threatens Israel's security

Xinhua, July 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to slam the nuclear deal reached between Iran and the major world powers on Tuesday, claiming it risks Israel's security.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on Tuesday evening detailing the main points the Israeli prime minister made in the conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama, following the deal reached between the P5+1 countries (The United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany) and Iran early Tuesday.

"The Prime Minister emphasized that the deal contains two main dangers: it would allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons, either after adhering to the agreement, in ten to 15 years, or by violating it beforehand," the statement said.

Netanyahu also told obama that the deal "will pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the Iranian terror and war machine which threatens Israel's security and that of the entire world."

Earlier, Netanyahu called the deal a "stunning historic mistake" and that Israel is not bound by the deal as "Iran continues to seek Israel's destruction," adding that Israel will "always defend itself."

Also on Tuesday evening, the Israeli cabinet voted unanimously against the deal and reiterated that Israel is not bound by it.

U.S. President Obama, for his part, said earlier on Tuesday that the deal includes clauses that specify that if Iran breaks the agreement, sanctions will be reinstated within 65 days and keeps the weapons embargo intact.

With that, Israeli media reported that the U.S. Defense Chief Ashton Carter will arrive in Israel next week in order to clear the air and reassure Israel on its concerns regarding the deal. The Channel 2 news reported Obama notified Netanyahu of his visit during their phone call.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry responded to Netanyahu's earlier statements regarding the deal, telling the MSNBC news channel that the comments are "way over the top."

Relations have been tense between senior Israeli and U.S. officials, chiefly between Netanyahu and Obama, over differing views on how to handle the Iranian nuclear issue.

Netanyahu is a staunch objector to the diplomatic negotiations, which started between the P5+1 countries and Iran in 2013.

The P5+1 states and Iran have been spending the past few weeks trying to reach the deal in Vienna, after an original deadline for a deal set to June 30 expired. After two extensions, parties announced a deal early Tuesday.

The deal ends over a decade of strife between Iran and the international community, relieving Iran of economic sanctions in exchange for the international community's supervision of Iran's nuclear project, which is designated for purposes of research and development. Endit