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| In Congress, Netanyahu Faults ‘Bad Deal’ on Iran Nuclear Program | |
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| WASHINGTON — With dark warnings and a call to action, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel used one of the world’s most prominent venues on Tuesday to denounce what he called a “bad deal” being negotiated with Iran and mount a challenge to President Obama. | WASHINGTON — With dark warnings and a call to action, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel used one of the world’s most prominent venues on Tuesday to denounce what he called a “bad deal” being negotiated with Iran and mount a challenge to President Obama. |
| In an extraordinary spectacle pitting the leaders of two close allies against each other, Mr. Netanyahu took the rostrum in the historic chamber of the House of Representatives to tell a joint meeting of Congress that instead of stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Mr. Obama’s diplomatic initiative “would all but guarantee” that it does, in turn setting off a regional arms race. | In an extraordinary spectacle pitting the leaders of two close allies against each other, Mr. Netanyahu took the rostrum in the historic chamber of the House of Representatives to tell a joint meeting of Congress that instead of stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Mr. Obama’s diplomatic initiative “would all but guarantee” that it does, in turn setting off a regional arms race. |
| “This deal won’t be a farewell to arms,” Mr. Netanyahu told the American lawmakers, who responded to him with a succession of standing ovations. “It would be a farewell to arms control. And the Middle East would soon be crisscrossed by nuclear tripwires. A region where small skirmishes can trigger big wars would turn into a nuclear tinderbox.” | “This deal won’t be a farewell to arms,” Mr. Netanyahu told the American lawmakers, who responded to him with a succession of standing ovations. “It would be a farewell to arms control. And the Middle East would soon be crisscrossed by nuclear tripwires. A region where small skirmishes can trigger big wars would turn into a nuclear tinderbox.” |
| Such dire predictions could make it much harder for Mr. Obama to sell an agreement to a Republican-led Congress even if his negotiators reach one in Geneva. The president quickly tried to counter the prime minister by dismissing the speech as “theater” and “nothing new.” Mr. Netanyahu, the president told reporters, had no better ideas than the status quo or, in theory, military strikes against Iranian facilities. | Such dire predictions could make it much harder for Mr. Obama to sell an agreement to a Republican-led Congress even if his negotiators reach one in Geneva. The president quickly tried to counter the prime minister by dismissing the speech as “theater” and “nothing new.” Mr. Netanyahu, the president told reporters, had no better ideas than the status quo or, in theory, military strikes against Iranian facilities. |
| “The prime minister didn’t offer any viable alternatives,” Mr. Obama said after the speech at the start of a meeting with his new defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter. He added: “The alternative that the prime minister offers is no deal, in which case Iran will immediately begin once again pursuing its nuclear program, accelerate its nuclear program, without us having any insight into what they’re doing, and without constraint.” | “The prime minister didn’t offer any viable alternatives,” Mr. Obama said after the speech at the start of a meeting with his new defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter. He added: “The alternative that the prime minister offers is no deal, in which case Iran will immediately begin once again pursuing its nuclear program, accelerate its nuclear program, without us having any insight into what they’re doing, and without constraint.” |
| Mr. Netanyahu’s address, by far the most anticipated speech to Congress by a foreign leader in many years, drove a wedge between Democrats and Republicans. While he was escorted into the chamber by a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers and greeted with raucous enthusiasm, especially by Republicans, more than 50 Democrats skipped the event. Representative Nancy Pelosi, the party’s House leader, called his speech an “insult” to the United States. | Mr. Netanyahu’s address, by far the most anticipated speech to Congress by a foreign leader in many years, drove a wedge between Democrats and Republicans. While he was escorted into the chamber by a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers and greeted with raucous enthusiasm, especially by Republicans, more than 50 Democrats skipped the event. Representative Nancy Pelosi, the party’s House leader, called his speech an “insult” to the United States. |
| Longtime congressional veterans could recall few if any precedents for such a confrontation by a foreign leader on Capitol Hill, or for such a partisan response. Most foreign dignitaries invited to speak to Congress are celebrated figures, like Nelson Mandela or Vaclav Havel, or leaders of American allies delivering unifying messages. Perhaps the closest parallel involved not a foreign leader but Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was invited to address Congress a week after President Harry S. Truman fired him in 1951. | Longtime congressional veterans could recall few if any precedents for such a confrontation by a foreign leader on Capitol Hill, or for such a partisan response. Most foreign dignitaries invited to speak to Congress are celebrated figures, like Nelson Mandela or Vaclav Havel, or leaders of American allies delivering unifying messages. Perhaps the closest parallel involved not a foreign leader but Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was invited to address Congress a week after President Harry S. Truman fired him in 1951. |
| Democrats blamed Mr. Netanyahu and Speaker John A. Boehner for arranging the event without consulting the White House in an effort to undercut the president, while Republicans faulted Mr. Obama for reacting with such hostility to the genuine concerns of an endangered ally. | Democrats blamed Mr. Netanyahu and Speaker John A. Boehner for arranging the event without consulting the White House in an effort to undercut the president, while Republicans faulted Mr. Obama for reacting with such hostility to the genuine concerns of an endangered ally. |
| Either way, for nearly an hour, Mr. Netanyahu seemed in command of the chamber, with his baritone voice and bracing message generating a passionate response. Glancing down occasionally at a written text, he quoted Moses and Robert Frost, introduced the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in the gallery and displayed the colloquial English and almost American political mannerisms that have served him through three terms in office. | Either way, for nearly an hour, Mr. Netanyahu seemed in command of the chamber, with his baritone voice and bracing message generating a passionate response. Glancing down occasionally at a written text, he quoted Moses and Robert Frost, introduced the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in the gallery and displayed the colloquial English and almost American political mannerisms that have served him through three terms in office. |
| Mr. Netanyahu argued that Iran’s “tentacles of terror” were clutching Israel and that failing to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons “could well threaten the survival of my country.” Tehran already dominates the capitals of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, he said, and the United States should demand that it stop aggression against its neighbors and threats to annihilate Israel before agreeing to any deal. | Mr. Netanyahu argued that Iran’s “tentacles of terror” were clutching Israel and that failing to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons “could well threaten the survival of my country.” Tehran already dominates the capitals of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, he said, and the United States should demand that it stop aggression against its neighbors and threats to annihilate Israel before agreeing to any deal. |
| “We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation and terror,” he said. | “We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation and terror,” he said. |
| The prime minister dissected Mr. Obama’s proposed deal, complaining that it would allow Iran to keep some nuclear enrichment facilities and leave it capable of producing enough fuel for a bomb within a year if it broke the deal. The agreement would last only 10 years or so and would not address Iran’s ballistic missile program. “That’s why this deal is so bad,” he said. “It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb. It paves Iran’s path to the bomb.” | The prime minister dissected Mr. Obama’s proposed deal, complaining that it would allow Iran to keep some nuclear enrichment facilities and leave it capable of producing enough fuel for a bomb within a year if it broke the deal. The agreement would last only 10 years or so and would not address Iran’s ballistic missile program. “That’s why this deal is so bad,” he said. “It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb. It paves Iran’s path to the bomb.” |
| Mr. Netanyahu tried to defuse some of the tension surrounding his visit by praising Mr. Obama for all he has done to support Israel and by embracing lawmakers of both parties. “I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political,” he said. “That was never my intention.” | Mr. Netanyahu tried to defuse some of the tension surrounding his visit by praising Mr. Obama for all he has done to support Israel and by embracing lawmakers of both parties. “I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political,” he said. “That was never my intention.” |
| But he did not succeed in mollifying all Democrats, who recalled a history of what they deemed doomsday messages by him. Ms. Pelosi appeared agitated on the floor during the speech and later issued a statement saying she “was near tears” because she was “saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States” and “the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran.” | But he did not succeed in mollifying all Democrats, who recalled a history of what they deemed doomsday messages by him. Ms. Pelosi appeared agitated on the floor during the speech and later issued a statement saying she “was near tears” because she was “saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States” and “the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran.” |
| Mr. Obama did not watch the speech and at the last minute announced he would be holding a video conference at the same time with European leaders about Ukraine and other security issues. But he said he later looked over a transcript of the prime minister’s remarks and defended his proposed deal to reporters, saying a 10-year freeze with intrusive international inspections would be better than none at all. | Mr. Obama did not watch the speech and at the last minute announced he would be holding a video conference at the same time with European leaders about Ukraine and other security issues. But he said he later looked over a transcript of the prime minister’s remarks and defended his proposed deal to reporters, saying a 10-year freeze with intrusive international inspections would be better than none at all. |
| “If we’re successful in negotiating, then, in fact, this will be the best deal possible to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Obama said. “Nothing else comes close. Sanctions won’t do it. Even military action would not be as successful as the deal that we have put forward.” | “If we’re successful in negotiating, then, in fact, this will be the best deal possible to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Obama said. “Nothing else comes close. Sanctions won’t do it. Even military action would not be as successful as the deal that we have put forward.” |
| While the president could implement an agreement without immediate concurrence of Congress by using his power under law to suspend some sanctions against Iran and lift others entirely, he would eventually need lawmakers to agree to permanently terminate all of the penalties as Iran wants. But Republican leaders indicated that they would not wait, and the issue could come to a head even before the next deadline in the negotiations on March 24. | While the president could implement an agreement without immediate concurrence of Congress by using his power under law to suspend some sanctions against Iran and lift others entirely, he would eventually need lawmakers to agree to permanently terminate all of the penalties as Iran wants. But Republican leaders indicated that they would not wait, and the issue could come to a head even before the next deadline in the negotiations on March 24. |
| Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, moved on Tuesday to allow procedural votes as early as Monday to advance legislation requiring the president to submit any agreement to Congress and restricting his authority to waive sanctions for 60 days to give Congress time to weigh in. The bill had sponsors from both parties, but one of them, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, grew angry that Mr. McConnell was acting ahead of the deadline and said he would oppose the move. | Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, moved on Tuesday to allow procedural votes as early as Monday to advance legislation requiring the president to submit any agreement to Congress and restricting his authority to waive sanctions for 60 days to give Congress time to weigh in. The bill had sponsors from both parties, but one of them, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, grew angry that Mr. McConnell was acting ahead of the deadline and said he would oppose the move. |
| The speech came even as Secretary of State John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, continued their talks in Switzerland. In comments published Tuesday in the Iranian news media, Mr. Zarif rejected the conditions Mr. Obama outlined for Iran’s nuclear program, which officials have insisted is only for civilian uses. | The speech came even as Secretary of State John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, continued their talks in Switzerland. In comments published Tuesday in the Iranian news media, Mr. Zarif rejected the conditions Mr. Obama outlined for Iran’s nuclear program, which officials have insisted is only for civilian uses. |
| “Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands,” Mr. Zarif was quoted saying. “It is clear that Obama’s comments are meant to win the U.S. public opinion and counter the propaganda campaign by the Israeli prime minister.” | “Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands,” Mr. Zarif was quoted saying. “It is clear that Obama’s comments are meant to win the U.S. public opinion and counter the propaganda campaign by the Israeli prime minister.” |
| But in separate if sparse public comments in Montreux, Switzerland, Mr. Zarif was more conciliatory. “We’re trying, we’re trying,” he responded to a shouted question about how the negotiations were going. | But in separate if sparse public comments in Montreux, Switzerland, Mr. Zarif was more conciliatory. “We’re trying, we’re trying,” he responded to a shouted question about how the negotiations were going. |
| In Israel, where Mr. Netanyahu’s speech has proved no less contentious, political analysts praised his rhetorical skills. But they said it was unclear whether the speech would have any effect on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, or whether it would help or hinder Mr. Netanyahu’s chances of being re-elected on March 17. | In Israel, where Mr. Netanyahu’s speech has proved no less contentious, political analysts praised his rhetorical skills. But they said it was unclear whether the speech would have any effect on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, or whether it would help or hinder Mr. Netanyahu’s chances of being re-elected on March 17. |
| “There was nothing really new here for Israelis,” said Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political communications at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. “On the one hand, you have people getting up and cheering in Congress, and on the other, people here are asking whether it was worth causing such damage” to Israel’s relations with the Obama administration. | “There was nothing really new here for Israelis,” said Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political communications at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. “On the one hand, you have people getting up and cheering in Congress, and on the other, people here are asking whether it was worth causing such damage” to Israel’s relations with the Obama administration. |
| All of Israel’s major television channels broadcast the speech, but with a five-minute delay mandated by the Israeli Central Elections Committee to give local news editors time to block out any sections that could be construed as violating Israel’s strict election propaganda laws. Nothing was censored. | All of Israel’s major television channels broadcast the speech, but with a five-minute delay mandated by the Israeli Central Elections Committee to give local news editors time to block out any sections that could be construed as violating Israel’s strict election propaganda laws. Nothing was censored. |
| Isaac Herzog, the Zionist Union leader who is challenging for the premiership, said that “there is no doubt that Netanyahu knows how to give speeches,” but that the speech in Congress “will not stop Iran going nuclear.” | Isaac Herzog, the Zionist Union leader who is challenging for the premiership, said that “there is no doubt that Netanyahu knows how to give speeches,” but that the speech in Congress “will not stop Iran going nuclear.” |
| Mr. Herzog said the prime minister’s trip had delivered “a harsh blow to American-Israeli relations.” | Mr. Herzog said the prime minister’s trip had delivered “a harsh blow to American-Israeli relations.” |
| He added, “Only through cooperation with the United States can we stop the Iranian nuclear program.” | He added, “Only through cooperation with the United States can we stop the Iranian nuclear program.” |