Netanyahu says no deal is possible with Iran's rulers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic agreement was not possible with those who rule Iran, using the term savages, as he welcomed the US campaign of economic pressure on Tehran.

The statement stakes out a position at the opposite end from the one set out in Paris this week, where France and Saudi Arabia called for a negotiated solution to avoid further escalation and for a diplomatic settlement ensuring the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme.

The divergence is about method rather than about the assessment of Iran's capabilities. The Paris position treats a negotiated framework as the instrument most likely to constrain the programme; the position expressed by Netanyahu treats negotiation as structurally unavailable and economic pressure as the operative tool.

That argument is being tested in real time. Washington has threatened secondary sanctions against countries continuing to trade with Iran, a mechanism that extends penalties to third parties rather than to the sanctioned state alone. The Iranian rial has fallen to two million to the dollar and fuel shortages have produced queues at petrol stations.

Whether that pressure produces concessions or entrenchment is the open question. Tehran is reported to be betting that global economic fallout will generate domestic pressure on the US administration ahead of midterm elections.

Based on reporting by Middle East Eye.