In an interview with Newsmax, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu stated that the Biden administration’s efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran, Israel’s most dangerous enemy in the Middle East, will not deter his nation’s approach to dealing with the Islamic Republic.
“Whether without a deal, whether without an understanding, whether without a maxi-deal or a mini-deal, Israel will do what it needs to do to defend itself by itself against the threat of Iran to annihilate it with nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”
The Biden administration has been actively working to re-enter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that the U.S. withdrew from during the Trump administration, which has been a cause of concern for Israel.
According to a report by Israeli news outlet Haaretz on July 14, the Biden administration has tentatively agreed with Iran that it would not enrich uranium beyond 60% and would not reach the 90% level required for manufacturing nuclear weapons. In exchange, the U.S. would lift its opposition to the release of Iranian assets worth $20 billion held in various countries. However, the State Department has denied the existence of such an imminent deal.
“I have a longstanding view on all these deals and agreements with Iran or the previous JCPOA and other agreements of lesser magnitude,” Netanyahu said. “I think that any deal with Iran that doesn’t set back Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is basically not worth it because it means nothing.
“They basically take what you give them, but they don’t set back. They don’t roll back the capacity to produce nuclear weapons or the components of nuclear weapons. So, you really get nothing for it. And my view hasn’t changed. I can’t tell you whether such a deal will be advanced. It may. And so, my views are the same whether or not it’s advanced.”
{Matzav.com}
