Israeli leaders’ criticism of Western powers recent agreement with Iran has been good for America, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, according to Maariv/nrg.

Clinton reportedly said in a closed meeting in Washington that Israel’s open concern that the plan would be ineffective has kept the pressure on Iran and its allies.

Israel’s status as a perceived ally of the United States means that its warnings of a possible military strike are taken seriously in Iran, she explained. Russia and China are also influenced by fear of an Israeli military strike, she said, citing the countries’ behavior in advance of Security Council votes on sanctions on Iran.

Concern over a possible Israeli strike may have made Iran more flexible in its talks with U.S. diplomats.

Clinton’s alleged remarks stand in opposition to the official U.S. position, which has been to reject Israeli criticism of the deal with Iran. U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly asked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be less vocal in his criticism of the deal.

Current U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has argued that Israel will be safer when the deal with Iran is implemented.

An Iranian political analyst claimed last week that if the deal over Iran’s nuclear program had not been reached, Iran would have annihilated Israel.

Netanyahu has warned that the deal is “bad and dangerous” for Israel and for the world. Iran will get billions more dollars due to eased sanctions “without having to pay any real price,” he has argued.

Senior Iranian officials have been critical as well, accusing the U.S. of breaching the agreement.

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/175398#.UrauBLSPlgh