NEW YORK
Israel could find itself more isolated and more blamed by the international community if a nuclear deal with Iran is overturned by Congress, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
"What happens is if the United States Congress unilaterally walks away from this agreement that we have reached, we go right back to square one where we were with no alternative, Iran is enriching, we have no inspections ... and we are going to have the conflict," Kerry said in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Congress began Monday a 60-day review of the agreement reached July 14 between Iran and the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. -- plus Germany.
The administration is seeking congressional support, particularly in the Senate, to ensure that lawmakers do not have a two-thirds majority in each congressional chamber to override a potential veto of legislation that undermines the accord.
With the deal, "we are gaining safety and security I believe for Israel and the region that no alternative presents", Kerry said, criticizing its opponents who voice concerns about what would happen after 15-20 years into the deal.
"The fact is that if we don't accept this agreement, if we don't keep to this agreement and put it to the test, year 15 or year 20 comes tomorrow, literally", he said. "Because Iran already has enough nuclear material for 10 to 12 bombs."
The agreement reached in Vienna brought to a close nearly two years of contentious talks that focused on providing Tehran with sanctions relief in return for unprecedented curbs and inspections on its nuclear program.
The scheme is fiercely opposed by Israel as well as Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and have said it will allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons while lifting sanctions will provide money for Iran to fund terrorism.
Kerry, however, said "Israel could actually wind up being more isolated and more blamed" if Congress rejected it.
"Nothing in this agreement is based on trust, nothing," he said.
"We are not naive. We know the history. We know what Iran is doing in the region, Yemen, Iraq, Syria militias, Hezbollah," he added.
Syria 'dynamic' must change to kill Daesh
John Kerry also said that the "dynamic of Syria" needs to be changed in order to kill off the Daesh militant group.
"And that’s part of why we have been negotiating with Turkey in these last weeks and now have some shift in what the Turks are prepared to do, and there is also a shift in some of the things that we’re engaged in", Kerry said.
His remarks followed early Friday airstrikes by Turkey on Daesh targets in Syria after gunfire from the direction of Syria killed one Turkish soldier Thursday.
Officials in Washington have said Turkey has agreed to allow U.S. warplanes to use Incirlik air force base to fight against Daesh.
Asked whether Iran ought to be included in diplomacy on Syria following the July 14 nuclear deal, Kerry said he would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Qatar in the coming weeks to discuss Syria and "we want to bring the Saudis in, we want to bring the Turks in, and ultimately, probably, we have to see what the Iranians are prepared to do".
The agreement reached in Vienna brought to a close nearly two years of contentious talks that focused on providing Tehran with sanctions relief in return for unprecedented curbs and inspections on its nuclear program.
"But to deal with Daesh, to kill off Daesh, ISIL, which we intend to do, we have to change the dynamic of Syria," Kerry added.
