Kerry pushes back on Israeli criticism of Iran nuke talks

MONTREUX, Switzerland (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing back against the Israeli prime minister's assertion that a developing nuclear deal with Iran should be scrapped.

Kerry spoke Wednesday in response to Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism of the deal to U.S. Congress the day before.

The secretary of state says if talks are successful, the deal being negotiated will "achieve the goal of proving that Iran's nuclear program is and will remain peaceful."

Picking up on President Barack Obama's comments, Kerry says "no one has presented a more viable lasting alternative for how you actually prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."

Kerry spoke at the end of several meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif and ahead of consultations with Arab and European U.S. allies.