Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett explained the message he brought during his trip to the US over the Iranian nuclear question. Speaking to Arutz Sheva , Bennett asserted that a "good deal" with Tehran would dismantle Iran's entire “nuclear weapon machine,” while a "bad deal" is one in which “we click the 'pause' button and stop the production for a few months.” The purpose of Bennett's current trip to the US is to explain Israel's position and encourage policy makers to adopt a "good deal" between Iran and the P5+1 nations that are negotiating with it over its nuclear weapons program, and the Jewish Home head told Arutz Sheva that the Israeli government "intends to continue this effort, both on the Hill and in the media", to achieve a positive outcome. Bennett has been speaking with media and congressmen in an effort to exert pressure on the Obama administration not to relax sanctions on Iran unless Iran agrees to dismantle is nuclear weapons program. Speaking at the Brookings Institution last week , Bennett explained that the issue was not to prevent Iran from physically building a nuclear bomb now, as that is not its current agenda at the moment, as it faces such strict international scrutiny. Rather, he explained, the Islamic Republic wants to reach the point where it has the ability to “break out” and produce a bomb in a period of six weeks at any given moment, when the West is otherwise occupied. Interviewed on IDF Radio, Bennett acknowledged that Israel may not get the P5+1 nations to insist with Iran on all the conditions Israel wants, and that Israel may have to settle for a deal that is just “less bad” than what is currently being offered to Iran.
