TEL AVIV, November 23 (Sputnik) — Israel is following the talks on the Iranian nuclear program between Tehran and the P5+1 group of international mediators "with concern," the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
"We are following the progress of negotiations with concern. We are holding consultations with the representatives of other great powers in order to convey to them our decisive position, which is that we cannot allow Iran to establish itself as a nuclear threshold state," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu was previously opposing the very idea of holding nuclear talks with Iran, but then called the last year's intermediate talks erroneous, as they did not stop the development of Iran's nuclear program.
"The lack of agreement would be better than a bad deal," he added stating that a potential agreement could threaten Israel, the Middle East and the whole world.
Netanyahu stressed there was no reason to allow Iran operate centrifuges, capable of enriching uranium for a nuclear bomb, or to "continue developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear warheads and, thus, threaten the entire world."
The West suspects Iran of developing nuclear weapons, while Tehran has repeatedly emphasized the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
During talks in Geneva in November 2013, Iran the P5+1 group, comprising Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Germany, agreed to reach a long-term comprehensive agreement, which would guarantee the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program by July 2014. The deadline, though, was later extended to November 24.
The final round of the nuclear talks began in Vienna Tuesday.
