TEL AVIV, December 8 (Sputnik) — Israel has played a key role in making sure that talks on Iranian nuclear program between Tehran and a group of international mediators in November would end without a "bad deal", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
"The agreement, which has not been reached last month, was leaving Iran in a status of being on a threshold of becoming a nuclear state. Even though Israel is not part of the P5+1 group, our voice and our worries have played a critical role in disallowance of a bad agreement," Netanyahu said speaking at the Middle East forum in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister added that it is necessary to increase pressure on Iran to make sure it abandons its nuclear program.
Israel and the West have long accused Iran of attempting to develop a nuclear weapon under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, while Tehran argues that its nuclear development is aimed purely at meeting the country's growing energy needs.
In November 2013, during talks held in Geneva, the P5+1 group of international mediators comprising Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Germany agreed to reach a deal with the Tehran delegation guaranteeing the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program by July 2014. The deadline for the agreement was later postponed to November 24, 2014.
Netanyahu always spoke against the P5+1 talks with Iran, arguing that more radical measures should be taken to make sure Tehran won’t develop a nuclear weapon.
At the latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries held in Vienna, the parties failed to reach a comprehensive deal on Iran's nuclear program by the earlier set November 24 deadline. The sides agreed to prolong the Geneva agreements and continue their dialogue until July 2015.
