Netanyahu Warns West 'Iran Is Not Your Friend'
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed forward in his campaign against an international agreement with Iran over its nuclear program ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline.
In an interview on CBS "Face the Nation" over the weekend, Netanyahu emphasized that the United States and five other nations shouldn't let Iran off the hook with its nuclear program just because they're fighting ISIS.
"First, let me say that we see these horrors, this additional atrocity, and the people of Israel are with you, we're with the family, we're with all the American people who understand the savagery that we're all up against. And we support you in this battle," Netanyahu said.
"We support President Obama in leading this coalition. It has to be fought, ISIS. It has to be defeated, and it can be defeated," he said.
Netanyahu said that Israel and the United States are "fully coordinated" and exchange information that needs to be exchanged, but he said there's a "global conflict" going on.
"Basically, the Middle East is awash with militant Islamists, the militant Islamists led by al Qaeda and ISIS on the Sunni side, the militant Islamists led by Iran and Hezbollah on the Shiite side. We want both of them to lose," Netanyahu said.
"The last thing we want is to have any one of them get weapons of mass destruction. Look at what ISIS is doing now with assault rifles and pickup trucks. Just imagine what Iran would do if it had nuclear weapons. So, both our enemies are fighting one another. And when they are, weaken both. Don't strengthen either one," he added.
Netanyahu is concerned that the international powers will reach a bad deal with Iran that will allow Iran to reach the point where it could become a nuclear power very quickly, just for the sake of having an agreement.
"Iran is not your ally. Iran is not your friend. Iran is your enemy. It's not your partner. Iran is committed to the destruction of Israel," he said.
"Just as the P5-plus-one, United States and the world powers, are negotiating with Iran a nuclear agreement, the Ayatollah Khamenei, the ruler of Iran, calls for the annihilation of Israel. He just did that four days ago. He specified nine ways and reasons by which Israel should be destroyed," Netanyahu continued.
"He has participated in rallies and chants of death to America, death to Israel. This is not a friend, neither in the battle against ISIS, nor in the effort, the great effort that should be made to deprive them the capacity to make nuclear weapons. Don't fall for Iran's ruse," he said.
Netanyahu said the alternative to a bad deal with Iran is not war but rather stiffer sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
