Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was grateful for the warm reception he received by the U.S. Congress on Tuesday (March 03) for a speech in which he warned of dangers in negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran.
“I was very moved by the attention and the responses to the speech from both sides of the aisle. And, it was very clear to me and it was clear in that hall to anyone who was there that the support for Israel is strongly bipartisan: that there is a very broad support of the American people and its representatives for the Jewish state and I am very, very grateful for that,”Netanyahu said at a photocall with Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate following his speech.
Netanyahu urges ‘better deal’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by House Republicans to address Congress — less than a month before a deadline for a U.S. deal with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
In no uncertain terms, comparing Iran’s regime to the Nazis, Netanyahu said a nuclear Iran could mean an end to Israel’s security but also threaten nations worldwide. He warned against the deal — saying the U.S. should hold out for a ‘better’ one.
“If Iran threatens to walk away from the table, and this often happens in the Persian bazaar, call their bluff. They’ll be back. Because they need the deal a lot more than you do,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said the drop in oil prices puts the U.S. and other nations involved in the nuclear talks in a better position to negotiate with Iran.
The deal, as it now stands, would give Tehran some limited ability to enrich uranium — but Israel wants Iran stripped of its nuclear projects all together to ensure it can’t pursue a bomb.
Reuters