Israel PM: 'Bad deal worse than no deal' with Iran

If they (Iran) really wanted to dismantle their nuclear weapons programme, they'd come out with it, says Israel PM.

BERLIN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday "a bad deal is worse than no deal" with Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, ahead of crunch talks between Tehran and world powers.

In excerpts of an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published in advance, he called for sanctions on the Tehran regime to be stepped up rather than eased.

"A bad deal is worse than no deal," the prime minister was quoted as saying.

Iran "will ask for a partial lifting of sanctions for cosmetic concessions that would leave them with the ability to have a nuclear weapons capability," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.

He cautioned that Iran was far more dangerous than nuclear-armed North Korea and bent on spreading terror in the world.

"You demand enrichment if you want to build nuclear weapons," he stressed.

Global powers accuse Iran of seeking to obtain a nuclear bomb under the guise of what Tehran insists is its civilian atomic energy programme.

But recent US-Iranian talks have raised hopes of progress in Geneva on October 15-16 when Iran meets the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

In a separate interview with rolling news channel France24, Netanyahu urged France to be tough on Iran "with or without Rouhani's smiles."

"If they really wanted to dismantle their nuclear weapons programme, they'd come out with it," he charged.

Rouhani has come out strongly in favour of a quick deal after negotiations over the nuclear programme practically stalled for eight years.