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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 02: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2015 Policy Conference, March 2, 2015 in Washington, DC.
Tomorrow March 3rd Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of the US
Congress.
White House warns Netanyahu not to reveal Iran details

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White House warns Netanyahu not to reveal Iran details
By Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 1432 GMT (2232 HKT) March 3, 2015
U.S.- Israel Relations
sotu feinstein netanyahu does not speak for all Jews_00002429.jpg
Feinstein: Netanyahu doesn't speak for all Jews
sotu bash oren house of cards ad_00002729.jpg
Israeli leader channels 'House of Cards'
Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, stand with Obama
during an arrival ceremony for Obama at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, in March
2013.
Frayed edges showing in U.S.- Israel relationship
exp erin intv cantor netanyahu to deliver speech to u.s. congress_00034523.jpg
Cantor: No deal is better than a bad deal with Iran
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval
Office, September 30, 2013 in Washington, DC
Have U.S.-Israel relations ever been this bad? Yes.
Netanyahu speaks as he chairs the weekly cabinet meeting on November 24, 2013 at his office in
Jerusalem. Netanyahu slammed a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers as a "historic
mistake."
U.S.-Israeli relations strained by Netanyahu speech
US President Barack Obama (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a meeting in the
Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, September 30, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
(Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Analyst on Obama, Bibi's 'dysfunctional relationship'

Netanyahu: No disrespect to President Obama for visit

Netanyahu: No disrespect to President Obama for visit
tsr sot rice iran nuclear deal_00005006.jpg
Rice: A bad deal with Iran is worse than no deal
lead dnt labott netanyahu aipac speech _00004203.jpg
Netanyahu: Speech not intended to disrespect Obama
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures while addressing the 2015 American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff
Owen)
White House downplaying Netanyahu's speech?
bts netanyahu israel speech aipac iran obama_00001906.jpg
Netanyahu: U.S.-Israel alliance 'stronger than ever'
Ambassador Power speaks at the AIPAC conference
sotu feinstein netanyahu does not speak for all Jews_00002429.jpg
Feinstein: Netanyahu doesn't speak for all Jews
sotu bash oren house of cards ad_00002729.jpg
Israeli leader channels 'House of Cards'
Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, stand with Obama
during an arrival ceremony for Obama at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, in March
2013.
Frayed edges showing in U.S.- Israel relationship
exp erin intv cantor netanyahu to deliver speech to u.s. congress_00034523.jpg
Cantor: No deal is better than a bad deal with Iran
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval
Office, September 30, 2013 in Washington, DC
Have U.S.-Israel relations ever been this bad? Yes.
Netanyahu speaks as he chairs the weekly cabinet meeting on November 24, 2013 at his office in
Jerusalem. Netanyahu slammed a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers as a "historic
mistake."
U.S.-Israeli relations strained by Netanyahu speech

US President Barack Obama (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a meeting in the
Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, September 30, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
(Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Analyst on Obama, Bibi's 'dysfunctional relationship'
Netanyahu: No disrespect to President Obama for visit
Netanyahu: No disrespect to President Obama for visit
tsr sot rice iran nuclear deal_00005006.jpg
Rice: A bad deal with Iran is worse than no deal
lead dnt labott netanyahu aipac speech _00004203.jpg
Netanyahu: Speech not intended to disrespect Obama
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures while addressing the 2015 American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff
Owen)
White House downplaying Netanyahu's speech?
bts netanyahu israel speech aipac iran obama_00001906.jpg
Netanyahu: U.S.-Israel alliance 'stronger than ever'
Ambassador Power speaks at the AIPAC conference
sotu feinstein netanyahu does not speak for all Jews_00002429.jpg
Feinstein: Netanyahu doesn't speak for all Jews
Washington (CNN)The Obama administration is bracing for Benjamin Netanyahu to spill secret details of
Iran nuclear talks, as both camps traded last-minute political jabs ahead of the Israeli prime minister's
controversial address to Congress at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday.

The White House is uncertain what precise details may come out but aides spent Monday frantically
mobilizing after Israeli officials said that the prime minister planned to disclose sensitive details of an
agreement taking shape in talks between six world powers and Iran, which has entered a delicate final
stage.

Concern and anger among American officials about the nature of what Netanyahu might expose
heightened already roiling tensions between the two countries. Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned
about the damage such revelations might have on the negotiations and President Barack Obama himself
attacked Netanyahu's judgment.

Netanyahu is expected to use the details to bolster his argument before Congress that the deal under
discussion will not prevent Iran from getting a bomb and could therefore threaten the Jewish state's
existence.

Netanyahu's life in pictures

Netanyahu's life in pictures 37 photos
EXPAND GALLERY
The speech, which was organized by House Republican Speaker John Boehner without the White
House's prior knowledge, has already fueled a bitter domestic political row, and the fallout from any
shared intelligence details could result in a more fundamental break between Israel and the U.S.

"The release of that information would betray the trust between our allies, and it certainly is
inconsistent with the behavior of trusted allies," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday.

Obama isn't expected to watch Netanyahu's address. Instead, he'll be meeting with several of his
European counterparts via video conference to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the White House
announced Tuesday.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, told CNN that she
hadn't been told what would be in the speech but that she was concerned. One GOP senator said Israeli
officials had described the address as containing "something we have never heard before."

READ: 6 questions about Netanyahu's visit

Blunt words from Obama

Obama bluntly said Monday that Netanyahu had been proven wrong about his diplomatic initiative
before, telling Reuters that Netanyahu has in the past made "all sorts of claims" about the deal and that
"none of that has come true."

And Kerry, who met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Switzerland on Monday, cautioned against
Netanyahu revealing sensitive details of the negotiations.

"I want to say clearly that doing so would make it more difficult to reach the goal that Israel and others
say they share in order to get a good deal," Kerry said.

READ: Conflicting personalities and worldviews threaten U.S. ties with Israel

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf also sent a shot across Netanyahu's bow, noting that
Washington had provided regular classified briefings to the Israeli government on the progress of the
talks and that the administration was "incredibly disappointed that some Israeli officials were saying
Prime Minister Netanyahu would reveal sensitive information."

Netanyahu's aides say that Tuesday's speech represents the last chance for Israel to register its dismay
at the proposed deal, ahead of a late March deadline for a political framework to be reached between
the parties, so it is vital that he explains to lawmakers what is in the draft.

'A bad deal is worse than no deal'

National Security Adviser Susan Rice, meanwhile, told the America Israel Public Affairs Committee
annual meeting that the administration would never sign an agreement that did not guarantee Israel's
security.

"I want to be very clear. A bad deal is worse than no deal. If that is the choice, there will be no deal."

Rice also said that Israel's insistence that Iran must stop all enrichment of uranium was unrealistic and
took a clear shot at Netanyahu on the eve of his speech.

"Soundbites won't stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Strong diplomacy backed by pressure can."

The appearance on Capitol Hill amounts to a highly unusual case of a foreign leader, who has a fraught
relationship with Obama, effectively deciding to side with Republicans in an effort to derail a potentially
historic initiative that is one of the president's top remaining priorities.

READ: Will Netanyahu's speech to Congress backfire?

"The purpose of my address to Congress," Netanyahu told the AIPAC on Monday "is to speak up about a
potential deal with Iran that could threaten the survival of Israel."

"I plan to speak about an Iranian regime that is threatening to destroy Israel, that's devouring country
after country in the Middle East, that's exporting terror throughout the world and that is developing, as
we speak, the capacity to make nuclear weapons, lots of them," Netanyahu said.

The Obama administration says that a deal could verifiably freeze Iran's nuclear program for at least a
decade and stop it short enough of developing a weapon for the world to have time to act if it cheats on
the agreement.

A deal that falls short?

Netanyahu however, argues that only an agreement that completely dismantles Iran's entire nuclear
infrastructure and materials is acceptable, and believes the one on the table falls far short of that
demand.

Netanyahu: Speech not intended to disrespect Obama

Netanyahu: Speech not intended to disrespect Obama 02:05
PLAY VIDEO
Despite the fierce fight over his speech and a partial Democratic Party boycott, Netanyahu insists that he
is not meddling in U.S. politics and says he respects Obama despite the personal and political gulf
between them.

But his decision to accept the invitation from Boehner has exacerbated a fierce disagreement over Iran
branded Netanyahu's visit "destructive."

Despite the escalating dispute over the possible future deal, Earnest said on Monday that it was still far
from certain that one would emerge.

"Our likelihood of success when it comes to reaching a deal in the context of these negotiations is only
at best 50-50. There are difficult decisions that need to be made by the Iranian government in terms of
their willingness to sign onto this agreement. And the president has made clear that he is not going to
sign a bad deal."

Earnest also said that Obama had not watched Netanyahu's speech to AIPAC and that he doubted the
president would tune in on Tuesday when he goes to Congress. In a pointed show of administration
pique over the address, Vice President Joe Biden, who normally would attend, is in Guatemala.

Despite the warnings from the State Department and harsh words from the president, the White House
did try to tamp down the flaring tensions in addresses by Rice and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
Samantha Power to AIPAC Monday and in delivering several administration statements of support for
the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Still, the President will not be meeting with Netanyahu as is customary, or even speak to him by phone.
U.S. officials say that is because a meeting between Netanyahu and the President could be construed as
an attempt by Washington to interfere in Israel's general election on March 17.

CNN's Elise Labott, Dana Bash and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.

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