May 18, 2012

(JTA) — Nothing suggests that Iran is ready to stop its nuclear weapons program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of talks between Iran and a U.S.-led negotiating coalition.

“Nothing would be better than to see this issue resolved diplomatically,” Netanyahu said Friday during a state visit to the Czech Republic. “But I have seen no evidence that Iran is serious about stopping its nuclear weapons program. It looks as though they see these talks as another opportunity to deceive and delay just like North Korea did for years.”

Representatives from Iran and six major powers — the United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France — are scheduled to meet in Baghdad on May 23 to discuss an outline of a deal that would relieve Iran’s isolation in exchange for more transparency about and international access to its nuclear program. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

The Obama administration has been pressing Israel not to go ahead with a military strike while it seeks to end the crisis through sanctions and diplomacy.

In his statement, Netanyahu laid out Israel’s goal for negotiations: Freeze all uranium enrichment inside Iran, remove all enriched material outside of Iran and dismantle an enrichment facility at Qom.

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