Netanyahu to Obama: Iran nuclear deal threatens Israel

In phone call, Netanyahu tells Obama that nuclear deal based on proposed framework 'would threaten the survival of Israel, bolster Iran's nuclear program and pave its way path to the bomb.'
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to US President Obama early Friday and voiced Israel's strong opposition to the framework agreement reached between Iran and world powers, which Netanyahu said poses a grave danger to Israel, the region and the world.
"A deal based on this framework would threaten the survival of Israel," Netanyahu said, slamming Iran for its regional activities.

In response to the deal, Netanyahu will hold talks with the Security Cabinet, which includs ministers, as well as senior officials from Israel's security services, an aide told AFP Friday morning. "The prime minister will hold security consultations," the aide said, without providing details.

Nuclear Accord

A better deal than we expected / Ron Ben-Yishai Analysis: Despite glaring shortcomings of 'framework' deal with Iran – which allow Tehran ability to resume its nuclear pursuit with haste – Obama now offering Netanyahu an olive branch; the Israeli leader should embrace it and help seal loopholes in final agreement. Full analysis

According to Netanyahu, "This deal would legitimize Iran's nuclear program, bolsters Iran's economy, and increase Iran's aggression. Such a deal would not block Iran's path to the bomb. It would pave it… (and) increase the risks of nuclear proliferation in the region and the risks of a horrific war," Netanyahu said in a statement regarding his phone call with Obama.

"The alternative is standing firm and increasing the pressure on Iran until a better deal is achieved," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Iran's Javed Zarif EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (L) (Photo: AP)

Netanyahu believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb - a concern that has been shared by much of the world. He considers a nuclear-armed Iran a threat to Israel's very existence, given Iranian leaders' calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, Iran's support for hostile militant groups across the region and its development of long-range ballistic missiles.

Speaking at the White House, President Barack Obama called it a "good deal" that would address concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called it a "win-win outcome."

 
The framework deal includes a system of limits and inspections on Iranian nuclear facilities, but falls short of Israeli demands to dismantle the program. Netanyahu believes Iran cannot be trusted, and that leaving certain facilities intact would allow the Iranians to reach the capability of building a bomb.

Netanyahu has warned of Iran's nuclear intentions for years, and has said that preventing Iran from developing a bomb is the mission of his lifetime. As details of the framework were being finalised, Netanyahu demanded in a post on Twitter that any deal achieved with Iran "must significantly roll back Iran's nuclear capabilities."