WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned President Barack Obama on Tuesday against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran that would be a “countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare” by a country that “will always be an enemy of America.”
“If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons — it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons — lots of them,” the Israeli leader said in a 39-minute speech to the U.S. Congress that offered a point-by-point critique of Obama’s Iran diplomacy.
After Netanyahu’s speech, Obama responded in the Oval Office, declaring in a frustrated tone that the Israeli leader offered “nothing new” and “no viable alternatives.”
In an appearance that strained U.S.-Israeli relations and was boycotted by dozens of Obama’s fellow Democrats, Netanyahu said Iran’s regime was “as radical as ever,” could not be trusted and the deal being worked out with world powers would not block Iran’s way to a bomb “but paves its way to a bomb.”
“This deal won’t be a farewell to arms; it will be a farewell to arms control … a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare,” Netanyahu told lawmakers and visitors in the House of Representatives. His speech drew 26 standing ovations.
Earlier, he entered the chamber to a cacophony of cheers and applause, shaking hands with dozens of lawmakers, including House Speaker John Boehner, before taking a podium and telling lawmakers he was deeply humbled.
At the start of the speech, he sought to defuse the intense politicization of his appearance, which has hardened divisions between Republicans and Democrats over the White House’s approach to stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He said he was grateful to Obama for his public and private support of Israel, including U.S. military assistance and contributions to Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system.
“I regret that some see my appearance here as political,” he said. “I know that no matter which side of the aisle you sit on, you stand with Israel.”
The speech escalated Netanyahu’s campaign against Obama’s Iran diplomacy, putting unprecedented stress on the two leaders’ ties.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu made a strong statement to Congress — one that demonstrated our overarching strength as strategic partners despite occasional disagreements. The United States and Israel share the same goal: preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear weapons capability,” Maine Sen. Angus King said of the speech Tuesday afternoon.
“I continue to believe that the ongoing negotiations, which are among the most important of our lifetime, are — at present — the best way to achieve that goal. I appreciate the prime minister’s concern, but we must keep in mind that no deal has yet been reached. And, while we must stand firm in our commitment to a nuclear weapons-free Iran, we must also let diplomacy lead the way. If a deal is reached, we can then judge it on its merits and in its entirety.”
“It is important that our country hear from the leader of America’s closest and only fully democratic ally in the Middle East on this issue,” Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday in a press release.
“An effective, verifiable diplomatic solution would be the best possible outcome for halting the Iranian pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and I have supported diplomatic efforts that are backed by tough sanctions to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. I hope that the Obama administration will negotiate an agreement that removes the threat of Iran being able to produce a nuclear weapon in less than a year,” Collins said.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin also expressed support Tuesday.
“I believe that this reception presented a great opportunity for Americans to extend our support to one of our strongest allies, especially given the intense geopolitical climate of the Middle East today,” he said. “Now, more than ever, the United States of America should stand with Israel in sharing the same vision for a peaceful and stable Middle East.”
Although given the cold shoulder by the U.S. administration, Netanyahu on Monday offered an olive branch, saying he meant no disrespect to Obama by accepting an invitation to speak to U.S. lawmakers that was orchestrated by the president’s rival Republicans.
He said the United States should not ease its restrictions until Iran “changes its behavior,” a comment that could stiffen support among Republicans to maintain U.S. sanctions on Iran or seek to escalate them. But the Israeli leader did not specifically call for new penalties, something Obama has said would undermine talks and would prompt a veto if passed by Congress.
“If the world powers are not prepared to insist that Iran change its behavior before a deal is signed, they should at the very least be prepared to insist that Iran changes its behavior before the deal expires,” he said.
He added that the drop in oil prices put the United States and other countries in a stronger position to negotiate with Iran.
“Iran’s nuclear program can be rolled back well beyond the current proposal by insisting on a better deal and keeping up the pressure on a very vulnerable regime, especially given the recent collapse of the price of oil.”
Partial boycott
As many as 59 of the 232 members of Congress from Obama’s Democratic Party sat out the address to protest what they see as a politicization of Israeli security, an issue on which Congress is usually united.
Among those was Maine’s 1st Congressional District Rep. Chellie Pingree, who said in a statement that she watched the prime minister’s speech from her office.
“While I continue to support a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship, I don’t believe his speech happened at the right time or under the right conditions,” Pingree said. “It should not have happened so close to Israeli elections nor without the president’s consent. But my biggest concern is that the speech undermines the ongoing work of our president and his administration to reach a deal with Iran that keeps them from obtaining nuclear capability.”
The absence of so many lawmakers could raise political heat on Netanyahu at home two weeks before an Israeli general election. Many Israelis are wary of estrangement from a U.S. ally that provides their country with wide-ranging military and diplomatic support.
On Monday, Obama appeared to wave off any prospect that the bedrock U.S. alliance with Israel might be ruined by the rancor.
Netanyahu, a right-wing politician who has played up his security credentials ahead of a closely contested March 17 election in Israel, had denied his speech would have any design other than national survival.
He introduced Nobel peace laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, 86, to prolonged applause: “Elie, your life and work inspires and gives meaning to the words ‘Never Again.’ I wish I could promise you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Wiesel sat in the gallery next to Netanyahu’s wife, Sara.
Netanyahu wants the Iranians stripped of nuclear projects that might be used to get a bomb — something Tehran insists it does not want. Washington deems the Israeli demand unrealistic.
Under a 2013 interim deal, the United States and five other powers agreed in principle to let Iran maintain limited uranium enrichment technologies. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice argued Monday this commitment could not be undone.
A deal with Iran is far from guaranteed, given U.S. assessments that more than a decade of carrot-and-stick diplomacy with Iran might again fail to clinch a final accord.
The United States and several of its allies, notably Israel, suspect Iran of using its civil nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies this, saying it is for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity.