Netanyahu Pledges Open Opposition to Return of Iran Nuclear Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to step up his efforts to derail a return to the Iran nuclear deal by airing his opposition openly and in public, in an apparent shift from a more circumspect approach taken by the previous government.

(Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to step up his efforts to derail a return to the Iran nuclear deal by airing his opposition openly and in public, in an apparent shift from a more circumspect approach taken by the previous government.

“We will act powerfully and openly on the international level against the return to the nuclear agreement — not only in talks with leaders behind closed doors, but also powerfully and openly in the arena of global public opinion,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The Israeli prime minister, who was sworn in last week after just 18 months in opposition, said that contrary to public opinion, the nuclear agreement hasn’t been scrapped. 

Netanyahu has long been among the original deal’s most vocal opponents, arguing that it provides Iran a pathway to a nuclear arsenal that would pose an existential threat to Israel. Iran denies its nuclear program is intended to produce weapons.

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