Netanyahu Plans to Meet With European Leaders on Iranian Nuclear Talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Friday that he would meet with European leaders next week in hopes of influencing the negotiations scheduled to begin Oct. 15 over Iran’s nuclear program, part of what he described as a “comprehensive international struggle.”

“I will emphasize the fact that the sanctions on Iran can achieve the desired result if they are continued,” Mr. Netanyahu said upon returning to Israel from a five-day visit to the United States. “The world must not be tempted by the Iranian stratagem into easing sanctions as long as the Iranians do not dismantle their military nuclear program.”

Mr. Netanyahu spent the last three days in an intense media blitz following a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday in which he tried to unmask what he has repeatedly denounced as a “charm offensive” by the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani. Mr. Rouhani has agreed to engage in talks with the United States and other Western powers over Iran’s nuclear program, which he insists is solely for civilian purposes. But he wants the economic sanctions against his country relaxed and some uranium enrichment capabilities maintained, conditions that Mr. Netanyahu virulently opposes.

In a series of interviews with major American broadcasters, Mr. Netanyahu referred to Iran as a cult and called for the complete dismantling of its nuclear facilities. He said he was in discussions with President Obama about what kind of agreement with Tehran might be acceptable.

“What we’re talking about right now is, I think, what are meaningful actions that will do the job,” Mr. Netanyahu told Charlie Rose of CBS News. When Mr. Rose asked whether the two leaders were in agreement, Mr. Netanyahu said, “Well, we’re talking about that.”

Mr. Netanyahu was also interviewed by a Persian-language news outlet for the first time on Thursday. In an interview with the BBC’s Persian service, he said, “We are not suckers,” using the Persian word for “suckers.” He added that he would welcome an agreement but not a fake one — using the Persian word for “fake,” according to a statement from his office.

Upon landing in Israel, the prime minister’s spokesman, Mark Regev, also took issue with an article published in the Friday editions of The New York Times that said Mr. Obama, fearing that Mr. Netanyahu was on the verge of carrying out an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear plants a year ago, sent two emissaries here to stop him.

“The story is completely untrue,” Mr. Regev said. “No such emissaries were sent with that message. The American position to us is clear and has always been clear, that Israel has the right to defend itself by itself against threats.”

Mr. Regev declined to answer questions about how close Mr. Netanyahu came last year to attacking Iran, and acknowledged that the prime minister had no way of knowing for sure what agenda Mr. Obama or members of his administration had for the visits.

“I’m not commenting on what the prime minister was doing or not doing, thinking or not thinking,” he said. “I can’t tell you what the Americans were thinking. I can tell you what messages were delivered, and it’s not true.”