Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wants to work together with US President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the US-led nuclear accord with Iran.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes set to be broadcast later Sunday, Netanyahu said it was not too late to undo the deal that was the landmark foreign policy achievement of President Barack Obama, noting that he would present Trump with five alternatives to the accord.
But the prime minister also took a more conciliatory approach to the Palestinian issue, saying he was eager for Trump to help him reach a peace deal.
“I think what options we have are much more than you think. Many more,” Netanyahu said when asked if he did not fear that abrogating the nuclear accord would put Tehran on the fast track to a nuclear weapon.
“And I’ll talk about it – with President Trump,” said Netanyahu, according to a transcript of the interview, adding that Iran had not rushed toward the bomb before because they “were afraid of retribution.”
The Israeli leader, who campaigned vigorously against the deal, said he has “about five things in my mind,” but declined to elaborate before he had spoken with Trump about the issue.
Trump said during the campaign he would tear up the nuclear deal, calling it one of the worst agreements in history. However, his pick for Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, is opposed to rescinding the accord.
