Germany's Steinmeier criticizes Israel's opposition to Iran deal

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized Israel's opposition to a nuclear deal agreed by six world powers and Iran, saying the agreement will help contribute to security in the Middle East.

"This is a responsible deal and Israel should also take a closer look at it and not criticize the agreement in a very coarse way," Steinmeier told German broadcaster ARD in an interview on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as a "stunning, historic mistake" and said it would enable Iran to pursue a path to nuclear weapons.

But Steinmeier said the basis for the agreement was transparency and the ability to monitor Iran's compliance.

"In the agreement, Iran has to commit to these monitoring possibilities. And we will make sure that the monitoring possibilities are also observed after this deal," he said.