19 September 2017•Update: 20 September 2017
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations Tuesday to renegotiate the Iran deal or scrap it, just hours after President Donald Trump called it an “embarrassment” to the U.S.
"Fix it or nix it,” Netanyahu told the General Assembly. "There are those who still defend the dangerous deal, arguing that it will block Iran's path to the bomb. That's exactly what they said about the nuclear deal with North Korea, and we all know how that turned out."
The long-time Israeli leader made headlines when he warned in 2012 that the country is on the cusp of achieving a nuclear weapon, famously holding up a cartoon cutout of a bomb in a theatrical display that continues to be a hallmark of his time at the UN.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that key to his understanding of fixing the deal is eliminating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action's (JCPOA) sunset clauses, that would lift restrictions on Iran's nuclear program at various points starting a decade from its implementation.
He also called for the inspection of "military or any other site that is suspect".
Military sites are not covered under the JCPOA, and Iran has rejected calls to include them after the fact.
Netanyahu added that Israel "will act to prevent Iran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria for its air, sea and ground forces.
"We will act to prevent Iran from producing deadly weapons in Syria or in Lebanon for use against us. And we will act to prevent Iran from opening new terror fronts against Israel along our northern border," he said.
Trump hinted at a possible U.S. pull out from the international accord that curtailed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Trump has said he will make his decision in October when the U.S. would have to again recertify that Iran is in compliance with the JCPOA's requirements.
"I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me," he told the assembly earlier Tuesday.
Trump’s speech drew accolades Netanyahu, who said in a message posted to his prime ministerial Twitter account, "In over 30 years in my experience w/ the UN I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech."
