by Chris Mitchell
CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief
JERUSALEM, Israel -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly proposed an extension of the nuclear talks with Iran. The deadline for the talks is midnight Monday, Nov. 24.
Even with an extension, Israeli officials are warning the six world powers negotiating with Iran that a bad deal now or later would endanger the world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes the West needs to keep up the economic pressure on Iran.
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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu |
"I think the key principle is this: Don't dismantle sanctions before you dismantle Iran's capacity to make a nuclear bomb. And as I understand it, the Iranians are nowhere near to accepting that and if for any reason the United States or the other powers agree to leave Iran with that capacity to breakout, I think that would be a historic mistake," he warned.
Netanyahu says a bad deal would be one that allows Iran to keep its thousands of centrifuges.
With those centrifuges, Iran could enrich enough uranium in a very short time to build a nuclear bomb.
Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister of intelligence and strategic affairs, told reporters Tehran is not being flexible.
"On the core issue on the uranium enrichment capability, they made almost no concessions," he said.
Steinitz says the current deal has dangerous loopholes.
"If these loopholes are not totally closed it enables the Iranians to bypass the agreement and to make the agreement meaningless," he said.
Steinitz emphasized what's at stake.
"This is going to change the world forever. This is going to create a new, dangerous world for decades. This is really about the future of the world, not just about the future of Israel or the Middle East or the security of the Europe and the United States," he said.
Netanyahu says the proof is that Iran is developing ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Why in heaven's name does Iran need intercontinental ballistic missiles? They don't need those missiles to reach Israel. They need it to reach Europe and the United States," Netanyahu said. " And the only thing you carry on intercontinental ballistic missiles are nuclear warheads."
For Israel, Netanyahu said all options are on the table.
"Israel itself will always reserve the right to defend itself against any threat with its own power," he said.
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