Israeli PM angered at thawing relations between Washington and Tehran

Netanyahu plays hawk to Rouhani's dove with anti-Iran rhetoric

Israeli PM angered at thawing relations between Washington and Tehran but observers say he is out of step with allies 

Joel Greenberg 

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, vowed to "tell the truth" about Iran's nuclear programme as he flew to the US on Sunday to meet Barack Obama and address the United Nations.

A diplomatic offensive at the UN last week by Iran's new president,Hassan Rouhani, who had a historic 15-minute phone conversation with Obama on Friday, has raised concerns in Israel, which fears improving relations between the US, one of its closest allies, and Iran, one of its worst enemies.

There is concern that if the US eases economic sanctions and removes any military threat, Tehran would be freer to create a nuclear bomb.

Officials say Netanyahu will present evidence of continued Iranian efforts to attain a nuclear weapon, and will urge the US and others not to be taken in by Rouhani's charm offensive."I will tell the truth in the face of the sweet talk and offensive of smiles," Netanyahu said on Saturday night before boarding his plane to New York. "One must talk facts and tell the truth. Telling the truth today is vital for the security and peace of the world and, of course, it is vital for the security of our country."

As Netanyahu travelled to the US, Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency announced it had arrested an Iranian with Belgian nationality who was suspected of spying for Tehran. The agency said Ali Mansouri, 58, carried photos of the US embassy in Tel Aviv and had been promised $1m (£620,000) to set up companies in Israel on behalf of the Iranian intelligence services "to harm Israeli and western interests".

Israeli commentators said Netanyahu would have to work hard to offset the impression left by Rouhani in his UN speech and media appearances, where he presented himself as a peace-seeking moderate. "The Iranian president was very successful in convincing many in the US who want to be convinced that there is a new spirit in Tehran and a great willingness now for compromise. It will be an enormous challenge for Netanyahu to reverse that trend," said Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Interdisciplinary Centre in Herzliya.

In the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, prominent columnist Nahum Barnea wrote that, in his phone conversation with Rouhani, Obama had "folded the flag which Netanyahu had waved to Israelis and the world, the basis of his diplomatic existence".

Barnea added: "The threat of a military attack by the US has been removed, at least in the coming months, and it is doubtful if there ever was an Israeli military threat."

Netanyahu has argued for increased sanctions on Iran, backed by a "credible military threat" that he said proved itself in the case of Syria, which under threat of a US strike agreed to international control of its chemical weapons.

The Israeli leader has urged that Iran be pressed to halt all uranium enrichment, remove enriched uranium from the country, dismantle the Fordo nuclear plant and stop "the plutonium track" to a nuclear weapon.

Yossi Alpher, an Israeli strategic analyst, said that Netanyahu's "strident tone", which included ordering the Israeli UN delegation to walk out of Rouhani's speech, meant that "he's coming across as a kind of spoiler".

"I don't think he will be able to persuasively argue that Rouhani is not worth talking to," Alpher said. "We lose a degree of credibility when we allow ourselves to be totally out of synch with our allies on this issue."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/29/netanyahu-rouhani-iran-rhetoric