Iran nuclear agreement: U.S. - Israeli relations
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President Barack Obama (D) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagreed about how to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Obama said that the nuclear accord with Iran and world powers placed strict limits on Iran's nuclear program and would lead to a path "of tolerance and peaceful resolution of conflict, ... more integration into the global economy, more engagement with the international community." Netanyahu disagreed with Obama's characterization of the deal and said that it made Israel and the Middle East a more dangerous place.[1]
In December 2011, then-Sen. John Kerry spoke to "Omani leaders about opening a back channel to the Iranians," but Netanyahu was not told about this. According to The Wall Street Journal, during a September 2013 meeting, Obama "acknowledged the secret negotiations. The secrecy cemented Israel’s distrust of Mr. Obama’s intentions, Israeli officials said."[1]
Robert Einhorn, a former arms control adviser at the U.S. State Department, said, "The lack of early transparency reinforced Israel’s suspicions and had an outsize negative impact on Israeli thinking about the talks."[1]
Netanyahu accepted an invitation from then-Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) to address members of Congress without White House approval. In his opening remarks on March 3, 2015, Netanyahu said, "I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy. I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. I know that no matter which side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel."[2]
Netanyahu said that Iran was the greatest threat to Israel and that the nuclear deal should be rejected. He said, "The greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons. We can’t let that happen. ... For more than a year, we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. We’re better off without it."[2]
He also said that Iran should be considered as dangerous as ISIS. He said, "Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam. ... In this deadly game of thrones, there's no place for America or for Israel. So when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy."[2]
Obama criticized Netanyahu's speech, saying, "The alternative that the prime minister offers is no deal, in which case Iran will immediately begin once again pursuing its nuclear program."[3]
The day after negotiators reached a final nuclear agreement, Netanyahu said in an interview with NPR that the deal would not change Israel's stance toward Iran. He said, "I think we have the obligation and the right to defend ourselves against those like Iran who openly seek our destruction. They vow that they will annihilate us from the face of the earth. And therefore, we'll take whatever measures are necessary to defend ourselves. Iran is an enemy of peace, an enemy of Israel, a friend of extremists, an oppressor at home against gays, women's rights, jailed journalists - but more than anything else, it seeks to annihilate the Jewish state. It's killed more Americans than anyone except al-Qaida, so we'll consider to make our position heard, but also, we'll continue to defend ourselves. This agreement doesn't change anything."[4]
Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to the deal during his speech at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on September 30, 2015. He said, "I wish I could take comfort in the claim that this deal blocks Iran’s path to nuclear weapons. But I can’t, because it doesn’t. The vast majority of Israelis believe that this nuclear deal with Iran is a very bad deal. And what makes matters even worse is that we see a world celebrating this bad deal, rushing to embrace and do business with a regime openly committed to our destruction."[5]
In an attempt to repair U.S.–Israeli relations, Netanyahu and Obama met at the White House on November 9, 2015. Obama said, "It is no secret that the Prime Minister and I have had a strong disagreement on this narrow issue, but we don't have a disagreement on the need to make sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon and we don't have a disagreement about the importance of us blunting destabilizing activities that Iran may be taking."[6]
See also
- Iran nuclear agreement: An overview
- Iran nuclear agreement: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
- Iran nuclear agreement:Negotiations
- Iran nuclear agreement: Timeline
- Iran nuclear agreement: Legislation
- Iran nuclear agreement: Congressional review
- 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
- Iran nuclear agreement: Public opinion
- Outline for nuclear agreement with Iran reached
- Iran nuclear agreement talks resume ahead of deadline
- 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
- John Kerry
- Barack Obama
- P5+1 and E3+3
External links
- House letter to President Obama
- Detailed Timeline of Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran
- "Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Status of Talks and the Role of Congress"
- "PM Netanyahu's Speech in Congress"
- "An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran"
- "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program"
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Wall Street Journal, "Spy vs. Spy: Inside the Fraying U.S.-Israel Ties," accessed November 13, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Hill, "Netanyahu: Iran deal will start countdown to ‘nuclear nightmare’," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Foreign Policy, "Netanyahu: ‘This Is a Bad Deal — a Very Bad Deal’," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ NPR, "Interview: Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu On Iran Nuclear Deal," accessed November 22, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Benjamin Netanyahu, at U.N., Continues to Condemn Iran Nuclear Deal," accessed November 5, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Obama, Netanyahu stress areas of agreement," accessed November 22, 2015
