Netanyahu expresses hesitance over discussion with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “not averse to calling” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but expressed his frustration over the situation. In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said: “I’ll tell you what I’ll tell him. You want the sanctions lifted? Stop your nuclear program.”

Generally, there has been more optimism over the idea of negotiating with Iran and making a deal over their nuclear program, but Rouhani has called for the international sanctions on the nuclear program to be lifted. The optimism rose though, when he spoke on the phone with President Obama, marking a large step in the right direction, and the first direct conversation between the two countries’ leaders since 1979. Susan Rice, Obama’s National Security Advisor, called the conversation “cordial and constructive,” but whether any significant progress was made, it is not entirely clear.

Netanyahu certainly remains suspicious of Rouhani, and called him “a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community.”

Netanyahu’s interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan will air Friday at 9:00pm.