A deal struck Sunday between Iran and world powers will help "make Israel safer," US Secretary of State John Kerry said, heading off criticism by the Jewish state of a thaw with Tehran.
He also said that if Iran's nuclear program is truly just for peaceful purposes, then it simply needs to "prove it" to the world.
"The comprehensive agreement will make the world safer ... and Israel safer," Kerry told reporters.
Calling the deal a "first step," Kerry said the deal "does not say that Iran has the right of enrichment, no matter what interpretative comments are made."
He spoke shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said the deal sealed Sunday with world powers contained a "clear reference that enrichment will continue."
Kerry also said that while President Barack Obama would not take off the table the possible use of force against Iran, he believed it was necessary first to exhaust diplomacy.