Netanyahu: The Opportunity of Extended Negotiations Should Be Used to Increase Pressure on Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated on Sunday, December 7, that the opportunity of extending nuclear negotiations with Iran should be used as leverage to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic to abandon its nuclear ambitions. According to the Associated Press, on the same day, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, called for patience and restraint regarding the nuclear negotiations with Iran, stating that if there is no 'tangible progress' in the negotiations, they will not continue. Two weeks ago, Iran and the U.S., along with Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany, the P5+1 group, agreed to extend nuclear negotiations for another seven months after a week of intensive talks in Vienna. The goal of extending these negotiations is to reach a comprehensive agreement to resolve Iran's nuclear file and also to lift foreign sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The Israeli Prime Minister, speaking via video message at a conference on the Middle East at the Brookings Institution in Washington, where John Kerry was present, said: 'Fortunately, the negotiators from the permanent members of the Security Council along with Germany did not reach an agreement with Iran within the deadline. Because if such an agreement were signed, Iran would be on the brink of becoming nuclear.' Iran and the six world powers reached a six-month interim agreement on November 24 last year, which was extended for another four months in June of this year. The parties in Vienna also failed to reach a conclusion by the deadline of November 24, and these negotiations were extended for another seven months. However, Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday: 'The voice and concerns of Israel played a significant role in preventing a bad agreement with Iran from being reached on time.' The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of utilizing the extra time created by the extension of the nuclear negotiations and stated that Iran should be asked to prove that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and has no military dimensions. Netanyahu said: 'We must take advantage of this existing opportunity and by increasing pressure on Iran, compel it to eliminate its capability and capacity to produce nuclear weapons.' The Israeli Prime Minister did not provide further details on how to increase this pressure. Meanwhile, some American lawmakers are calling for increased sanctions against Iran, while the Obama administration warns that such actions would undermine the results of recent negotiations. John Kerry also stated in this meeting: 'We do not wish to continue negotiations indefinitely.' The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized: 'In the absence of measurable progress, who knows how much longer the negotiations will continue?' He stated: 'If we succeed in reaching an agreement with Iran, the whole world, including Israel, will have greater security.' While John Kerry emphasized the continuation of nuclear negotiations with Iran, the day before, Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary, stated: 'In the Vienna negotiations, we stood firm on our principled position regarding enrichment and resisted the temptation to offer unreasonable concessions to reach an agreement.' While Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking the necessary technology to build nuclear weapons under the guise of its nuclear program, Iran denies this accusation, asserting that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and aimed at energy production.