Netanyahu: Despite late hour, still time for world to get better agreement with Iran

Netanyahu's comments came at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, just two days before the deadline for an agreement was set to expire.

By HERB KEINON
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday (photo credit: AMIT SHABAY/POOL)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday
(photo credit: AMIT SHABAY/POOL)
The world still has time to stiffen its terms and insist on conditions in a nuclear agreement with Iran that will prevent that country from arming itself with nuclear weapons and receiving a windfall from sanctions relief to finance its global aggression, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Netanyahu's comments came at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, just two days before the deadline for an agreement was set to expire. His comments came before news that the talks will extend pass the Tuesday deadline.
Netanyahu bewailed that the world powers were ignoring Iran's human rights violations, spelled out in a recently release State Department report on human rights violations around the world, as well as Iran's support for continuing to assist the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad which is slaughtering its own people.
“Two days before the final date set for the talks on achieving an agreement between the major powers and Iran, all of these things are being pushed aside,” he said. “Practically, there is no demand that Iran change its behavior and its violations are being completely overlooked. Its extreme demands, as well as the concessions to Iran, are increasing. We see before our very eyes a pronounced retreat from the red lines which were recently declared – in public – by the major powers. There is no reason to hasten this bad agreement, which is becoming worse by the day.”
That Iran led the State Departments list of human rights violator because of executions, torture, political arrests, repression of minorities and the LGBT community, as well as other restrictions of freedom, puts the lie to claims that the election of Iranian Present Hassan Rouhani has changed the character of the Iranian regime, Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said this report joins another recent report issued by the American administration which determined that during the talks with the major powers Iran has stepped up its aggression in the region.
“Iran tramples on human rights, disseminates terrorism and is preparing a vast military infrastructure while the talks with it – despite the foregoing reports – continue as usual,” he said.