Netanyahu says no diplomatic deal possible with Iran ‘savages’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic deal was not possible with the “savages” who rule Iran as he hailed US President Donald Trump’s new campaign of economic pressure.

Recounting a recent meeting with Trump, Netanyahu said they had discussed the possibility of diplomacy with the Islamic republic and added: “I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages.

“I tell you — an agreement cannot be reached,” Netanyahu told an event late Tuesday at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Trump on Monday declared “economic D-Day” aimed at destroying Iran’s economy, which has already endured years of sanctions, but he has shown reluctance to resume a full-scale war even as he grows frustrated that Tehran will not accept his demands.

Netanyahu voiced support for Trump’s economic pressure campaign and said he had told Trump of this “third option,” while praising the US president for pursuing it in “a very, very, very strong way.”

Trump had chosen to target not just Iran itself but decided on “tightening the siege on those who assist this regime, this terrible dictatorship. This is very important,” Netanyahu said.