Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the White House Sunday not to make any deal with Iran that allows the country to maintain nuclear breakout capacity.
Speaking during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Netanyahu said his preference would be for the U.S. to apply pressure on Iran via economic sanctions to squeeze concessions out of Tehran, saying he believes the current sanctions should be made stronger. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he favors allowing a vote on legislation that would toughen sanctions on Iran after Republicans assume the majority in January.
“The key principle is this: Don’t dismantle sanctions before you dismantle Iran’s capacity to make a nuclear bomb. And as I understand it, the Iranians are nowhere near to accepting that. And, if for any reason the United States and the other powers agree to leave Iran with that capacity to break out, I think that would be an historic mistake,” Netanyahu said.
The deadline imposed by the parameters of talks between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers is Monday. President Obama declined to say whether he would agree to extend the talks, saying it depends on what the remaining sticking points are. The months-long negotiations are meant to delay the time it would take for Iran to be nuclear-weapons capable.
Iran has refused to accept a deal that would completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, and the goal of the talks have long since shifted to slowing the country’s march toward a bomb, hopefully indefinitely.
“Rather than making a bad deal, I would just continue the sanctions regime — even toughen the sanctions regime — and get Iran to make the concessions it needs to make to make sure that they don’t have the capacity to make nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said.
