Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel would not be bound by a renegotiated nuclear deal with Iran that would see the Islamic Republic obtaining a bomb in a few years, and reiterated the Jewish State would do whatever it took to protect itself from regimes seeking its destruction.
Netanyahu delivered his remarks at the opening ceremony of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“The nuclear deal with Iran is once again on the table. Such deals with extreme regimes are worthless.”
Referencing the indirect talks that have begun in Vienna, Austria, between the U.S. and Iran, Netanyahu said: “The nuclear deal with Iran is once again on the table. Such deals with extreme regimes are worth as much as garlic peel.”
He then issued an implicit but sharp rebuke to the Biden administration: “I say to our closest friends too: ‘A deal with Iran that threatens us with annihilation will not bind us.’ Only one thing will bind us: to prevent those who wish to destroy us from carrying out their plans.”
Earlier this week, Breitbart reported key Israeli officials were “very troubled” by the American administration’s mixed messages regarding the deal.
Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley was accused by one official of “acting like he’s from the U.N.”
Blinken spoke on Friday with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and according to a source with knowledge on the matter, the American diplomat said that a gradual approach with Iran that would lead to a “sharpened” nuclear deal. However, the official also said that opinions are split within the Biden administration.
The impression Blinken gave is that the Biden administration “is not pinning its hopes” on the talks in Vienna this week and is “not expecting a breakthrough.”
“They understand Iran is leaning toward refusing any new declarations or plans… Iran has a tough stance of returning to the JCPOA and removing all sanctions,” the official said.