Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told America's chief diplomat that ongoing negotiations with Iran should insist that Tehran end all enrichment on uranium, get rid of any fissile material and close water plants and underground bunkers that he said are only necessary to build a nuclear bomb.
"I think a partial deal that leaves Iran with these capabilities is a bad deal," Netanyahu told US Secretary of State John Kerry at the start of what was expected to be a daylong private meeting in Rome.
Still, Netanyahu predicted that "we're very close" to striking a deal with Iran. "And I agree with you that the goal is to get it peacefully," he said.
Israel is nervously watching the renewed nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers. Netanyahu has long demanded that the US not ease any of its harsh economic sanctions against Tehran until the Islamic republic dismantles its nuclear weapons program.
"No deal is better than a bad deal," Kerry said. "But if this can be solved satisfactorily, diplomatically, it is clearly better for everyone, and we are looking for an opportunity to be able to that.