There is widespread coverage and analysis this morning of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress yesterday on the emerging nuclear deal being brokered between the United States and Iran. Netanyahu warned that the nascent agreement would pave the way to Iranian nuclear armament and that a better, more robust deal must be sought. His speech is covered in the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Financial Times, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Metro and Independent i with most reports including the response of US President Obama, who said that Netanyahu’s speech offered “nothing new.” The Guardian also includes criticism of Netanyahu from some US Democrats and Israel’s opposition leader Isaac Herzog. Meanwhile, the Guardian online highlights Iran’s official response which branded Netanyahu as “boring and repetitive.”

The Guardian online offers a clause by clause analysis and dissection of Netanyahu’s speech, courtesy of Julian Borger, Peter Beaumont and Ian Black. The Telegraph online includes a similar analysis by David Blair who calls Netanyahu’s speech an “all-out assault on Obama’s Iran policy.” In the Independent, Andrew Buncombe highlights five key passages from the address for comment.

A Financial Times editorial says that Netanyahu demonstrated guts rather than wisdom by addressing Congress. However, the article agrees that any deal with Iran must have teeth and that the relaxation of sanctions must be directly linked with strict Iranian compliance. In the Telegraph online, Azriel Bermant argues that Netanyahu’s concerns over an Iranian nuclear deal are correct, but that his tactics in addressing them are wrong. He suggests that Netanyahu should have quietly recruited other world leaders to also convey their concerns rather than grandstanding in Congress.

The Israeli media is also firmly focused on Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, which leads coverage in Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Maariv and Haaretz, which also highlights the reaction of President Obama. Some titles devote several pages to Netanyahu’s speech and analysis. Israel Radio news this morning notes that Netanyahu met both the Democrat and Republican Senate leaders following his speech.

In commentary on the speech, Yediot Ahronot’s Nahum Barnea argues that Netanyahu alienated a number of Democrat members, diminishing the chances that they will help Congress impose further safeguards to a potential deal. As a result, concludes Barnea, “It was not the Iranian centrifuges that Netanyahu had in mind yesterday, but rather the polling stations in Israel.” In Maariv, Ben Caspit criticizes Netanyahu’s timing, saying, “The Foreign Ministry, as well as the intelligence community estimates that the likelihood of an agreement with Iran during this round of talks is low to very low.” However, the speech presented “a rare political opportunity” for Netanyahu just two weeks ahead of Israel’s general election.

Israel Radio news reports that Shas leader Aryeh Deri last night addressed a party rally and said that Shas would join a government headed by Netanyahu, throwing his support behind the Prime Minister. Recent polls estimate that Shas will win seven seats.