Netanyahu suggests Congress speech preventing world powers from rushing to bad deal
PM's comments come after Kerry said that he did not feel a sense of urgency to get any deal with Iran, saying "we have to get the right deal."
By JPOST.COM STAFFPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to US Congress on March 3, 2015, with US Speaker of the House John Boehner and President pro tempore of the US Senate Orrin Hatch applauding behind him(photo credit: REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Sunday that his speech to Congress last week may have influenced world powers seeking to sign a political framework deal with Iran by the end of the month to refrain from rushing into an agreement at any cost.Speaking before the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, "After my speech in Congress, we heard over the weekend from the foreign ministers of a number of world powers that they are not compelled to reach a deal as soon as possible. I hope that these comments will be reflected in their actions."US 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."Kerry said that the United States and France are "on the same page" that the nuclear deal under discussion with Iran needs to be strengthened.Netanyahu said Sunday that "a good deal will condition the removal of restrictions on Iran's nuclear program on a halt of Iran's terror activity throughout the world, and of course a halt to its threats to destroy Israel."A good deal will increase the breakout time Iran needs to get a bomb to a number of years, he said. He reiterated his belief that the current version of the deal being discussed will give Iran a breakout time of a year, if not less. "This is based on Israeli intelligence and military assessments that we have communicated to the world powers."Netanyahu vowed that "we will continue to exercise every means to prevent the world's greatest supporter of terror from gaining the ability to create a weapon that will endanger the world - a weapon that is first and foremost dirceted at us."
