Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated in an interview with Fox News that he and Donald Trump share the same goal regarding Iran, emphasizing that, regardless of whether or not the U.S. reaches a nuclear agreement with Tehran, he will not allow the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons as long as he remains Israel’s prime minister.

When asked about the tensions surrounding the U.S.-Iran negotiations and the related memorandum of understanding, Netanyahu stated that he and the U.S. president “share the same goal.”

“We want to see Iran abandon its nuclear weapons program. We want the enriched nuclear material removed. We want the nuclear enrichment facilities dismantled. We have other common goals as well,” he said.

The Israeli prime minister noted that Trump believes that, following the strikes that—as he put it—Israel and the United States carried out jointly against Iran, there is now room to exert pressure through diplomacy to achieve these specific goals.

“We respect that, and I hope it succeeds,” Netanyahu said, adding: “But I can tell you this: With or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons.”

Netanyahu declined to comment on the progress of the talks between Washington and Tehran, as well as the criticism from his supporters that a deal could leave the Iranian regime in place and allow it to recover.

As he noted, the negotiations “have not been concluded,” and he will assess them once there is a final outcome.

“Believe me, when I have things I want to point out, I freely express my opinion. And when he has something to say to me, he does the same. That’s what friends and allies do with each other,” he said, speaking about his relationship with Trump.

“The most important thing is that we have a common goal: to ensure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons or the capability to build them,” the Israeli prime minister emphasized, adding that the world is “very fortunate” that Trump “is leading the free world in this joint effort.”

Source: Protothema.gr