Amb. Ron Dermer
Amb. Ron DermerPal Photography

Israel's ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, met with a group of House Republicans on Wednesday, lobbying them to vote against the Iran nuclear deal.

According to an AP report, Dermer met with some 30-40 representatives, with his central message being that although the agreement may look “safe” on paper, it was important to take into consideration who signed it. 

Dermer then denounced Iran as a regime whose leaders, just a day after signing the agreement, made no secret of their support for the destruction of Israel and the subjugation of the US.

One participant in the meeting, Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia, was quoted by AP as saying that Dermer had told representatives to “'pay less attention to all the details' like nuclear centrifuges, and more attention to 'who's on the other side of the ethical debate, and that is Iran."

The meeting was part of a round of visits by Dermer with lawmakers over the past few weeks, urging them to vote against the Iran deal.

Dermer also recently met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to discuss the Iran deal and other issues. Most of the members of the group are Democrats, and are expected to vote in favor of the Iran deal, as President Barack Obama advocates.

Speaking to Foreign Policy magazine, Maryland Democrat Elijah Cumming said that Obama should “set a high hurdle for the Israeli ambassador to get over. Either we’re going to do this by negotiation or do it by force."

“I would really love to hear [Dermer] tell me that he expects me to go to my constituents and say, ‘We should go to war.’”