Netanyahu says Blinken ‘making a big mistake’ on Iran nuclear deal

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu praises the arrival in Israel of several Arab ministers ahead of the Negev Summit.

“It’s a direct result of the Abraham Accords we brought,” Netanyahu says in an English-language video statement, referring to the US-brokered normalization deals reached in 2020 when he was prime minister. “The strengthening of the Abraham Accords is a good thing for peace, it’s good for Israel.”

The ex-premier takes issue with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Israel for the summit, following the top American diplomat’s remarks earlier today about a new Iran nuclear deal.

“I respect him personally, but I think he’s making a big mistake,” Netanyahu says.

“Iran without a nuclear agreement is a poor country, an isolated county, a country that has no international legitimacy and no immunity from a military option,” he continues. “Iran with a nuclear agreement becomes a rich country with hundreds of billions of dollars which they’ll use for terror and aggression.”

He calls for the government to oppose the nuclear deal: “Oppose this agreement now.”

חייבים להתנגד להסכם הגרעין המסוכן עם איראן.

Say no to the dangerous Iran nuclear deal. pic.twitter.com/EEKERi9XGI

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 27, 2022