Noam Chomsky: Israel's Goal in Opposing Iran Nuclear Deal Is Regional Dominance

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in the United States as part of his bid to stop a nuclear deal with Iran during a controversial speech before the U.S. Congress.

Dozens of Democrats are threatening to boycott Tuesday's address, which was arranged by House Speaker John Boehner without consulting the White House. Netanyahu's visit comes just as Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., are set to resume talks in a bid to meet a March 31 deadline.

"For both Prime Minister Netanyahu and the hawks in Congress, mostly Republican, the primary goal is to undermine any potential negotiation that might settle whatever issue there is with Iran," says Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and professor of linguistics emeritus at MIT. "They have a common interest in ensuring there is no regional force that can serve as any kind of deterrent to Israeli and U.S. violence, the major violence in the region."

Chomsky also responds to recent revelations that the Israeli spy agency Mossad contradicted in 2012 Netanyahu's own dire warnings about Iran's ability to produce a nuclear bomb, concluding that Iran was "not performing the activity necessary to produce weapons."