Netanyahu to America: ‘No Deal’ with Iran Is Better than a ‘Bad Deal’

‘Why should Iran have enrichment capability in the first place?’

MITCHELL: "You want zero enrichment, and the rest of the world wants to let Iran to have some enrichment ability. What would be wrong with an agreement that would give at least a year before Iran could actually enrich uranium to make a weapon. Would that be in Israel’s interest to let Iran go that far and have the rest of the world be watching, and the U.S. watching."

NETANYAHU: "Well, first all, I will tell you what we agree. We agree that Iran should not have a nuclear, should not be a military nuclear power. And the prime minister of Israel. Iran talks about destroying my country, so naturally, I don't want that --" [crosstalk]

MITCHELL: "And President Obama agrees with that as well."

NETANYAHU: "Sure."

MITCHELL: "So the question is how much?"

NETANYAHU: "The question is whether -- not really whether Iran would have nuclear weapons, but whether would have the capacity to make them, to manufacture them in short order. And that’s my concern."

MITCHELL: "Would a year’s lead time be enough?"

NETANYAHU: "Well, the question is why should Iran have enrichment capability in the first place? Why? If they don’t civilian nuclear energy, they don't need a single [indecipherable]. So, my view has been to dismantling their capacity to manufacture, to make nuclear weapons, and to  the extent that an agreement, a potential agreement reaches as closer to that position, that’s all for the better."

MITCHELL: "What if President Obama agrees to a deal with Iran that you say is unacceptable? What does Israel do?"

NETANYAHU: "Well, all I will say is that Israel always reserves the right to defend itself."

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