Kerry denounces ’hysteria’ over Iran nuclear deal

US Secretary of State John Kerry says there is “a lot of hysteria” in the criticism of the framework agreement reached between the P5+1 and Iran last month over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

“There’s a lot of hysteria about this deal,” Kerry told an Israeli TV channel. “People really need to look at the facts, and they need to look at the science behind those facts.”

Kerry’s interview with Channel 10 was conducted on Thursday, and parts of it were broadcast on Saturday night. The full interview will be broadcast on Sunday night.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany -- reached a landmark framework agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program on April 2 in Switzerland.

The two sides are set to start drafting a final accord, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is expected to come until the end of June.

Kerry said that Washington assures Tel Aviv it won't give up on any option open at the moment with regard to Iran's nuclear activities.

He said he understands Israel's concerns toward the nuclear deal with Iran, but he guarantees that any future agreement with Tehran will not let Israel down.

He stressed that Washington will not accept a deal with Iran unless Tehran provides transparency and allow international inspectors to monitor its nuclear program on a daily basis.

"We will have inspectors in there every single day. That's not a 10-year deal. That's forever. There have to be inspections," he said.

“President Obama has absolutely pledged they will not get a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I believe that where we are heading will in fact protect Israel.”

Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program with the regime repeatedly threatening to attack Iran's nuclear facilities based on the unsubstantiated allegation.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Unlike Iran, Israel, which is widely believed to possess between 200 to 400 nuclear warheads, is a non-signatory to the NPT and continues to defy international calls to join the treaty.