“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the framework nuclear agreement with Iran Thursday in a telephone conversation with President Obama, putting him on a collision course with the US and his closest allies. Netanyahu said he voiced his “strong opposition” to the outline – which is being welcomed around much of the globe – and said a final deal based on his framework would “threaten the survival of Israel.”
“He added that the deal would legitimize Iran’s nuclear program and increase Iranian “aggression and terror.” Netanyahu has been a vocal critic of the world’s negotiations with Iran, and Israeli officials gave Thursday’s framework agreement, announced in Lausanne, Switzerland, a cool reception. But Netanyahu could find a tough time trying to rally opposition to it as it is finalized in the coming months. His best bet for foiling the deal could lie with the US Congress, where Israel enjoys bipartisan support. Lawmakers have been threatening to try to delay the agreement or even push for new sanctions against Iran.
“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.
” “Any deal must significantly roll back Iran’s nuclear capabilities and stop its terrorism and aggression,” Netanyahu said on Twitter just ahead of the announcement in Lausanne. Speaking exclusively to Newslo, however, Netanyahu made several comments on how he perceived the recent communication between him and the US president.
“You know how Americans play cowboys and Indians where they’re kids? Well, it was kind of the same with me and Obama, I wanted him to play Churchill. He, on the other hand, wanted to be Chamberlain. We each stuck to our own, and ended up with neither – Chernobyl, that is. So, there you have it. That’s how it went, in a nutshell,” Netanyahu said.
He concluded by joking: “Role playing was never really my thing, and obviously, I’m not very good at it.”
