Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced skepticism on Sunday over talks with Iran, scheduled to begin in Istanbul between the six Western powers and Tehran.

In a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in his Caesarea home, Netanyahu said that Israel will follow the talks closely “since Iran is using them to delay and deceive.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel’s stance over what the West’s should demand vis-à-vis Tehran’s nuclear program has not changed. He reiterated the three demands he made during his visit in Canada last month – that Iran dismantle a nuclear facility near the city of Qom, put a complete stop to uranium enrichment and remove all material enriched above 3.5 percent from the country.

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Netanyahu’s comments come as the U.S. media reported that President’s Barack Obama said he intends to present Tehran with a number of conditions. According to the New York Times, the U.S. presented Iran with similar conditions to those of Netanyahu – closing the facility in Qom, stopping uranium enrichment and transferring enriched uranium out of Iran. In return, the Iranians would be able to use nuclear technology for civilian use such as energy and medicine.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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