Obama: ‘Misjudgment’ for Netanyahu to Demand Iran Recognize Israel’s Right to Exist

Last week the U.S. and Iran announced some preliminary agreements in a deal over nuclear weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the deal by saying it threatens Israel’s survival, but he also said that any nuclear deal should include Iran agreeing to recognize the state of Israel’s right to exist.

The State Department rejected the idea Friday, saying the agreement “doesn’t deal with any other issues,” and in an interview on NPR today, President Obama made similar remarks.

In talking with Morning Edition‘s Steve Inskeep, the president said, “The notion that we would condition Iran not getting nuclear weapons in a verifiable deal on Iran recognizing Israel is really akin to saying that we won’t sign a deal unless the nature of the Iranian regime completely transforms. And that is, I think, a fundamental misjudgment.”

Obama noted the very fact Iran’s regime won’t change as a big reason for why they don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon in the first place.

Listen to the audio below, via NPR:

[image via Pete Souza]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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