Bad deal on Iran could lead to war, Netanyahu says

During appearance on CNN, Prime Minister advocates for tightening sanctions, not relaxing them.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Prime Minister Netanyahu CNN 370 (photo credit: Screenshot: CNN)
Prime Minister Netanyahu CNN 370
(photo credit: Screenshot: CNN)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took to the airwaves in the United States once again on Sunday, telling CNN that any relaxation of the sanctions on Iran in return for limited nuclear concessions would be a "bad deal" that could even lead to war.
"If you do a bad deal, you may get to the point where your only option is a military option. So a bad deal actually can lead you to exactly the place you don't want to be," he said.
Netanyahu smoothly dismissed President Barack Obama's assurances that sanctions on Iran, if eased, could again be tightened, "if it turns out that six months from now that they're not serious."
But the prime minister warned there were companies, countries and investors "scrambling to get to Iran" should the sanctions be eased as part of an agreement at the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1, set to begin later this week in Geneva.
In fact, Netanyahu said, instead of easing sanctions, the world powers should contemplate intensifying them. "If you continue the pressure now, you can get Iran to cease and desist," he told CNN anchor Candy Cowley.
Meanwhile, French President Francoise Hollande told Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres upon his arrival in Israel on Sunday that France would never agree to any deal that left Iran with the potential to make nuclear weapons.