ISRAEL MINISTER: IRAN DEAL BASED ON 'DECEIT'

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Sunday harshly criticized the international community's nuclear deal with Iran, accusing the world of "self-delusion" and saying the first-stage agreement would not halt Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

But officials acknowledged there was nothing they could do to stop the agreement, and said that Israel would do everything it could to shape the final deal that is to be negotiated during the next six months.

Israel believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, and in the weeks leading up to Sunday's agreement, had warned the emerging deal was insufficient. It had called for increased pressure on Iran, and warned that any relief from economic sanctions would make Iran less willing to compromise down the road.

Israel's Cabinet minister for intelligence issues, Yuval Steinitz, said the last-minute changes to the deal were "far from satisfactory" and did nothing to change Israel's position.

"This agreement is still bad and will make it more difficult than before to achieve an appropriate solution in the future," he said. Instead, he compared it to a failed 2007 international deal with North Korea and said it "is more likely to bring Iran closer to having a bomb."

"Israel cannot participate in the international celebration, which is based on Iranian deception and (international) self-delusion," said Steinitz, whose responsibilities include monitoring Iran's nuclear program.

The exact details of Sunday's deal, hammered out in Geneva between six world powers and Iran, were not immediately known. Israel was not a participant in the talks but remained in close touch with the U.S. and other allies during the negotiations.

In a statement, the White House called the nuclear agreement an "initial, six-month step."

It said the deal limits Iran's existing stockpiles of enriched uranium, a key ingredient in making a nuclear bomb. It said the accord also curbs the number and capabilities of the centrifuges used to enrich and would limit Iran's ability to produce "weapons-grade plutonium" from a reactor in the advanced stages of construction. It also said there would be "intrusive monitoring" of Iran's nuclear program.

The statement also played down the extent of the relief from international sanctions, noting the "key oil, banking and financial sanctions architecture remains in place." It said any relief would be revoked if Iran did not keep its commitments.

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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/israel-minister-iran-deal-based-deceit