As talks continue, Netanyahu urges US to drop Iran nuke deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed extended talks between Iran and six world powers including the United States on Wednesday, again calling for “a better deal” over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Citing a quote from an Iranian general that “Israel’s destruction is non-negotiable,” Netanyahu said, “evidently giving Iran’s murderous regime a clear path to the bomb is negotiable.”

{mosads}Netanyahu cast doubt on potential terms for Iran to keep underground nuclear facilities, centrifuges and a heavy water reactor for nuclear energy as U.S.-led talks slipped past a Tuesday deadline into Wednesday.

“Now is the time for the international community to insist on a better deal. A better deal would significantly roll back Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. A better deal would link the eventual lifting of the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to a change in Iran’s behavior,” Netanyahu said in a statement Wednesday.

Netanyahu’s remarks came ahead of his meeting with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in Israel. The Israeli leader has been a vocal critic of the nuclear negotiations and made a controversial trip to the U.S. to speak to Congress on March 3 at the invitation of Boehner.

The Obama administration continued negotiations in Switzerland on Wednesday after a previous deadline for a political framework passed on Tuesday. A deal is expected to limit Iran’s timeline for producing a nuclear weapon in exchange for an easing of sanctions. U.S. officials have left open the option of continuing the talks until the end of June, but say they will walk away from a bad deal.

President Obama received an update on the talks from Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on Tuesday evening during a videoconference with nearly 20 administration officials.

“Iran must stop its aggression in the region, stop its terrorism throughout the world and stop its threats to annihilate Israel. That should be non-negotiable and that’s the deal that the world powers must insist upon,” Netanyahu said.