Netanyahu boasts he convinced Trump to ditch Iran deal
A television recording catches the prime minister taking credit for persuading the president to quit the nuclear accord.
2 min read
Netanyahu's gives a widely panned presentation a week before Trump's announcement [Getty]
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu boasted he had convinced US President Donald Trump to ditch the Iran nuclear deal, a recording has revealed.
In a video clip filmed two weeks ago and posted by Kan channel, Netanyahu can be seen telling activists and senior members from his Likud party: "We convinced the US president [to exit the deal] and I had to stand up against the whole world and come out against this agreement. And we didn't give up."
The prime minister then begins to speak about the Iranian regime, saying "not the Iranian people, I have nothing against them", before another person off-screen interrupts him saying: "It will disappear with the help of God."
"You said it. From your mouth to God," Netanyahu responds.
Netanyahu has made no secret of his opposition to the landmark 2015 deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Netanyahu, who Israeli police recently recommended by indicted over a fraud and corruption scandal, says the deal leaves Iran able to quickly reboot its nuclear programme to enable military production.
Comment: It's time to talk about Israel's nuclear weapons
A week before Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the historic deal, Netanyahu delivered a widely panned and debunked presentation detailing "proof" of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme.
Later in May, an investigation by NBC News found that Israeli private security firm Black Cube attempted to discredit the Obama administration officials who worked on the Iran deal - and, by extension, the deal itself.
A raid was allegedly carried out in Tehran last January by the Israeli spy agency to steal documents on Iran's nuclear programme - the details of which were later presented by Netanyahu to kill the Iran deal and prompt US withdrawal.
The Iran campaign is the first public case of the Israeli firm's alleged interference in US politics.
Israel is considered the leading military power in the Middle East and believed to be the only country in the region to possess nuclear weapons.
In a video clip filmed two weeks ago and posted by Kan channel, Netanyahu can be seen telling activists and senior members from his Likud party: "We convinced the US president [to exit the deal] and I had to stand up against the whole world and come out against this agreement. And we didn't give up."
The prime minister then begins to speak about the Iranian regime, saying "not the Iranian people, I have nothing against them", before another person off-screen interrupts him saying: "It will disappear with the help of God."
"You said it. From your mouth to God," Netanyahu responds.
Netanyahu has made no secret of his opposition to the landmark 2015 deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Netanyahu, who Israeli police recently recommended by indicted over a fraud and corruption scandal, says the deal leaves Iran able to quickly reboot its nuclear programme to enable military production.
Comment: It's time to talk about Israel's nuclear weapons
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Later in May, an investigation by NBC News found that Israeli private security firm Black Cube attempted to discredit the Obama administration officials who worked on the Iran deal - and, by extension, the deal itself.
A raid was allegedly carried out in Tehran last January by the Israeli spy agency to steal documents on Iran's nuclear programme - the details of which were later presented by Netanyahu to kill the Iran deal and prompt US withdrawal.
The Iran campaign is the first public case of the Israeli firm's alleged interference in US politics.
Israel is considered the leading military power in the Middle East and believed to be the only country in the region to possess nuclear weapons.
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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