Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has termed the nuclear agreement reached between the world powers and Iran a "stunning mistake of historic proportions" and made it clear Israel does not consider itself bound by the deal.
Not even waiting for a scheduled phone call from US president Barack Obama, Mr Netanyahu went on the offensive, interrupting an emergency meeting of the security cabinet to denounce the agreement in a televised statement in English. "Israel is not bound by this deal with Iran because Iran continues to seek our destruction. We will always defend ourselves."
Mr Netanyahu attacked the Vienna agreement for “gambling that in 10 years’ time Iran’s terrorist regime will change, while removing any incentive for it to do so”. “In the coming decade, the deal will reward Iran with hundreds of billions of dollars. This cash bonanza will fuel its terrorism worldwide . . . and its efforts to destroy Israel which are ongoing. This bad deal does not require Iran to cease its aggressive behaviour in any way.”
He likened the accord to the failed deal struck with North Korea and argued that by not dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme , the deal will give “an unreformed, unrepentant and far richer terrorist regime the capacity to produce many nuclear bombs”.
The breakthrough in Vienna marked a personal failure for Mr Netanyahu, who, for more than a decade, has publicly stated curbing Iran’s programme was his priority.
His attempt to persuade US legislators to oppose the emerging deal, in an address to a joint session of Congress in March, unco-ordinated with the White House, further damaged his already-tense relations with Mr Obama and prompted Washington to stop updating Israel on the talks.
However, Mr Netanyahu remains undeterred, and he plans a last-ditch attempt to persuade Congress to torpedo the deal.
Bloody regime
Defence minister Moshe Ya’alon described Iran as a “merciless, bloody regime that disseminates global terror, undermining the foundations of the free world” and vowed Israel remains ready to “defend itself, by itself”.
There was a wide consensus in Israel against the nuclear agreement, with the Arab Joint List standing out as the only party to welcome it.
Some opposition politicians were also critical of Mr Netanyahu’s tactics.
Zionist Union Yitzhak Herzog said Mr Netanyahu will be held accountable for this “grave failure”.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid called on Mr Netanyahu to resign. “Because of his conduct in the past year, the White House door is shut to him, half of Congress won’t listen to him and we weren’t represented in Vienna. This failure is solely Netanyahu’s fault.”