British ForeignMinister William Hague has urged Israel to avoid any action that would undermine the interim nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 world powers over the weekend in Geneva.
"We would discourage anybody in the world, including Israel, from taking any steps that would undermine this agreement and we will make that very clear to all concerned," Hague told Monday the British parliament, while saying it is important to understand those who oppose the deal.
The deal between the P5+1 (United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia) and Iran aims at scaling back the Iranian nuclear programme in return for limited easing of sanctions against Iran.
As part of the deal Iran has been obliged to halt the enrichment of uranium above 5 per cent, dilute its store of 20 per cent-enriched uranium, and to cease construction on the Arak nuclear reactor. Iran also agreed to provide the IAEA inspectors with daily access to the Natanz and Fordo sites. In return, Tehran will be allowed access to part of its funds frozen abroad as a result of sanctions.
Hague expressed the hope that a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Tehran could be reached within a year, but warned that world powers could swiftly reverse any sanctions relief they had granted Iran if Iran reneged on the deal.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized the Genea deal, calling it an "historic mistake".
“Israel is not bound by this agreement and his government will not allow Iran to obtain military nuclear capability,” said Netanyahu who fears that lifting sanctions will make it easier for Tehran to pursue a covert nuclear weapons programme.
Israel's national security adviser will travel to Washington for talks about the agreement.
"I spoke last night with President (Barack) Obama. We agreed that in the coming days an Israeli team led by the national security adviser, Yossi Cohen, will go out to discuss with the United States the permanent accord with Iran," Netanyahu said to members of his Likud party.
"This accord must bring about one outcome: the dismantling of Iran's military nuclear capability," he added.
Israel's new Labor opposition leader Isaac Herzog said Netanyahu should minimise confrontation with the Obama administration "and restore the intimate dialogue with the leaders of the big powers."
Meanwhile, the EU could relax some sanctions against Iran as soon as next month.
EU foreign ministers will meet in December to discuss a proposal from EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to ease sanctions, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
"We are proposing a lifting of the sanctions, but it will be limited, targeted and reversible," Fabius told Europe 1 radio. Asked when sanctions could start to be lifted, he added: "It will begin in December."
Ashton's spokesman Michael Mann said that the timing would be coordinated with Iran since it was up to both sides to keep their bargain and it was not yet clear when decisions could be taken to change sanctions legislation.
"It could be in December, it could be in January, it depends how long the legislative process takes," Mann said.
The European Union has imposed in 2012 sanctions on Iran including an oil embargo, frozen assets and banking restrictions.