Netanyahu: Nuclear talks continue even as official says Iran has God's approval to destroy Israel

PM speaks at Knesset ceremony marking 70 years since the Soviet victory over the Nazis.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Netanyahu and Khamenei (photo credit: AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR,AFP PHOTO / POOL / MENAHEM KAHANA)
Netanyahu and Khamenei
(photo credit: AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR,AFP PHOTO / POOL / MENAHEM KAHANA)
The lesson from World War II is not to back down from an extremist regime whose platform includes genocide and conquering other states, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, referring to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The prime minister spoke at a Victory in Europe Day ceremony in the Knesset on Wednesday marking 70 years since the capitulation of the Third Reich.
“Against the enemies of freedom, enlightenment and progress we need to stand firm and in a timely manner, in order to prevent them from using weapons of mass destruction in order to realize their murderous agendas,” the prime minister said.
Netanyahu quoted a senior Iranian official who was cited in Iranian media on Wednesday as saying that Tehran has God’s permission to liquidate Israel.
The “government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has divine permission to destroy Israel,” Mojtaba Zolnour, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s deputy representative to the Revolutionary Guards, said. “The Noble Koran permits the Islamic Republic of Iran to destroy Israel.”
“These statements are being heard by the representatives taking part in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and the talks continue as normal,” Netanyahu said.
“We need to stand firm to prevent the Iranians from using weapons of mass destruction to carry out their