Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not hide his disappointment and outrage about the breakthrough in the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear activities. He considers the new deal a huge historic mistake.
Here are his most remarkable and, sometimes ridiculous, statements on the issue made while in office since 2009:
2009: Iran will become “a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs”
The Israeli Prime Minister claimed that the Iranian regime consists of dangerous fanatics and warned against the nuclear armament of these ‘extreme forces.’
2010: “Iran is, at most, one to three years away from having a breakout nuclear capability”
Israel’s appeals to stop Iranian ‘destructive’ activities intensified, raising speculations about a possible military strike against the Islamic Republic.
2011: “The main problem in the Middle East is this tyrannical medieval regime, terrorist regime of Iran”
Netanyahu demanded an increase in international pressure on Iran and harsher sanctions. He also blamed the international community for focusing on the Palestine issue and said that the main security challenge in the Middle East is Iran’s “fanatic ideology armed with nuclear weapons”.
2012: Iran is 90 percent of the way to building a bomb and will soon cross the “red line”
During his address to the UN General Assembly, mostly known as his “red-line speech”, Netanyahu was holding a cartoon-like picture of a bomb. He drew a red line on the picture signifying the final stage of bomb development and called on the international community to immediately take military action against Iran.
2013: “Iran is building intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach the American mainland in a few years”
This statement was made by the Israeli Prime Minister during his interview with CBS. The mentioned ‘threat’ was considered a complete exaggeration by an overwhelming majority of experts and labelled as another part of excessive Israeli propaganda.
2014: Iran is “publically calling for the annihilation” of Israel
Netanyahu called the Iranian regime “unrepentant” and “unreformed,” arguing that Iran’s main goal is Israel's eradication.
2015: An agreement with Iran is a "mistake of historic proportions"
Netanyahu called the latest nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 a mistake of historic proportions. He also stated that Israel is not bound by this agreement and will defend itself in case of Iranian aggression.
