US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Switzerland for negotiations with Iran on the deal being formed ahead of a March 31 deadline, and he made clear he doesn't intend to watch Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's much talked about Congress address on Tuesday warning against the deal.
Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif met for two hours ahead of a resumption of talks later Tuesday that are to stretch into Wednesday at a lakeside hotel in Montreux.
A senior State Department official told AFP Kerry would not be watching Netanyahu's speech live as he would be in talks, saying he would be briefed later about the content.
Netanyahu in his speech reportedly is to elaborate on troubling details of the planned deal which have been kept secret by US President Barack Obama's administration, in a call for Congress to block the deal. The administration has warned Netanyahu against doing so, calling such a move a "betrayal."
But Zarif made clear the deal isn't lenient enough for the Islamic regime, reacting sharply to Obama's comments that any deal limiting Iranian nuclear production should stay in place for a "double-digit" period of years.
Zarif warned Iran "will not yield in the face of excessive demands and the illogical posture of the other party. It is clear that Mr Obama's posture is aimed at winning public support and countering the propaganda of the prime minister...using unacceptable and threatening terms and formulations."
Netanyahu has warned that the deal between US-led world powers and Iran will grant the Islamic republic nuclear breakout capabilities allowing it to rapidly develop a nuclear weapon at the time of its choosing, and likewise ease sanctions and pressure on Iran.
Speaking at AIPAC on Monday, Netanyahu said "the purpose of my address to Congress...is to speak up about a potential deal with Iran that could threaten the survival of Israel."
"Israel and the United States agree that Iran shouldn't have nuclear weapons. But we disagree on the best way to prevent them from developing those weapons," he added.
The Obama administration is furious that Netanyahu was invited to address Congress by Republican Speaker John Boehner, who didn't inform the White House in advance.
Obama reportedly won't even talk to Netanyahu by telephone during his visit, and according to a report on Monday night intelligence cooperation has been cut on Iran's nuclear program due to the tensions over the deal being formulated.