US Secretary of State Kerry warns Israeli PM against revealing details of Iran nuclear deal

Middle East, News, US March 2, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, against revealing details of a possible nuclear agreement with Iran.

Netanyahu is in Washington and is slated to address a joint session of Congress on March 3.

Kerry stopped short of mentioning Netanyahu by name, but he told reporters in the Swiss city of Geneva that he was concerned by reports that “selective details” of the emerging accord could be made public, AFP reports.

His comments came after an Israeli official said the Israeli premier would elaborate on details of the deal in his speech to Congress.

“The best way to deal with the question surrounding this nuclear program is to find a comprehensive deal, but not a deal which comes at any costs,” Kerry stated.

“We have made some progress, but we still have a long way to go, and the clock is ticking,” he added.

Iran and the P5+1 countries – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany- are making attempts to narrow their differences on the outstanding issues related to Tehran’s nuclear program.

Kerry landed in Switzerland Sunday night to hold a series of meetings, over the next three days, with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and foreign ministers of countries involved in the nuclear negotiations.

Last month, US House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to address Congress about the “threat” of a nuclear deal with Iran. The invitation was extended hours after President Barack Obama threatened to veto any sanctions legislation against Iran during his State of the Union address.

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Kerry amplified the Obama administration’s dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s plan.

“Obviously, it was odd, if not unique, that we learned of it from the Speaker of the House and an administration was not included in this process,” he said.

Netanyahu is also scheduled to speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobbying group on Monday.

Obama, Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden are boycotting the next week’s conference.

HRJ/HRJ