UN spotlight on Mideast crises; Netanyahu blasts Iran deal

UNITED NATIONS -- In an impassioned speech interspersed with bouts of dramatic silence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday condemned the Iran nuclear deal as empowering Tehran to spread further unrest in the Mideast while leaving the country capable of making an atomic bomb.

Netanyahu described Israeli-U.S. bickering over the deal as "a disagreement within the family," downplaying the fallout over an agreement Washington praises and Israel condemns.

The Israeli leader's speech to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly was notable for his rhetorical flourishes, including 47 seconds of silence about 15 minutes into his address.

Netanyahu insisted the nuclear agreement lets Iran support terrorism in the Mideast -- and bolsters its plan to liquidate the Jewish state.

He said the U.N. and most governments have responded to Iran's intent to destroy Israel with "deafening silence" -- and then stopped speaking to emphasize his point, glowering at hushed delegates before finally resuming his speech.

Netanyahu kept attacking the accord, which already has gone into effect despite intense lobbying by Israel's allies in Washington.

"This deal doesn't make peace more likely," he said. "By fueling Iran's aggressions with billions of dollars in sanctions relief, it makes war more likely."

Iran denies any interest in nuclear weapons.

It describes its atomic activities as peaceful, focused only on generating energy and advancing science and medicine.

The Obama administration insists the deal is effective in crimping the activities Tehran could use in making an atomic bomb.

As he has for years, Netanyahu insisted Israel would stop Iran from getting the bomb.

"Israel will not allow Iran to break in, to sneak in or to walk into the nuclear weapons club," he declared in an allusion to his country's vow to strike at Iran militarily as a last resort.