Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a joint press conference over the Iran nuclear deal in Israel this afternoon.
"There is no requirement for Iran to change its behaviour and that's what makes this deal fundamentally wrong," Mr Netanyahu told Mr Hammond.
The Israeli Prime Minister also questioned why the UK had not condemned Iran for a rally in which crowds chanted “Death to Israel” a few days before the deal was agreed. Mr Hammond replied: "We will judge Iran not by the chants on the streets of Tehran, but by the actions of its government.”
The Foreign Secretary tried to alleviate Mr Netanyahu’s fears over security, saying: "We would not have agreed to the deal unless we were sure we had robust measures in place to control Iran's nuclear programme.
"Despite our different views, I urge Israel to work with the UK to ensure the deal's fully implemented and effectively monitored.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Hammond met opposition leader Isaac Herzog and his Zionist Union co-leader Tzipi Livni. He also tweeted a photo from a visit to Yad Vashem with the caption reading: “Very moving to visit the Holocaust Museum @yadvashem & lay a wreath in memory of 6 million who perished. #NeverAgain”.
Very moving to visit the Holocaust Museum @yadvashem & lay a wreath in memory of 6 million who perished. #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/bym3juj7rn
— Philip Hammond (@PHammondMP) July 16, 2015
