Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday that she wishes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "would contain himself" on his continued stance and statements against striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear weapons "because he has put out no real alternative."
"I think he's said what he's had to say, and to be candid with you, this can backfire on him," the California Democrat said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." She said ehat even in his speech to Congress and subsequent appearances, including an earlier CNN appearance on Sunday, he has not offered alternatives to the deal.
Netanyahu said earlier in the show that he believes the strong sanctions that have proven effective should continue.
"They were only applied, financial sanctions and the oil sanctions, tough, biting sanctions were applied for the first time in 2012, got them immediately to the table," he said. "If they weren't together, why when you get to the table do you start lifting them immediately? They do work. That's what's required. There's still time to get a better deal and apply pressures on Iran to abandon, roll back the program and stop the vast aggression."
Feinstein pointed out that the framework has to be wrapped up into a final agreement and there still can be changes, "but I don't think it's helpful for Israel to come out and oppose this one opportunity to change a major dynamic, which is downhill, a downhill dynamic in this part of the world."
And more sanctions, she said, "will certainly drive the program more underground, make it more difficult."
The framework agreement announced last week, Feinstein said, is "a better agreement, candidly, than I thought it was ever going to be. I think it can be a very serviceable, practical agreement. It can signal a new day."
Feinstein, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that intelligence reflects that the joint agreement between Iran and the Western allied nations "has been carried out over the last couple of years without infarction, and I think that's some indication."
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani are both moderates, Feinstein said, and she believes they "really want to show that there is another way for Iran and, therefore, giving up this [sanctions] program is worth it."
Further, she said she believes Zarif is sincere and Iran's leaders want an agreement. Many in Congress are "jumping to conclusions" and the final document still needs to be seen.
Feinstein continued that Iran's 77 million people deserve more than a ruined economy.
"Sanctions generally hurt those who can't afford a better way of life, and they're not a long-term answer, I believe," she said. "I think we're all on the cusp of something that can be workable. I think the key is the 20-to 25-year surveillance inspection period and the changes that have been made. Obviously it's a compromise, but that's to be expected
She said she would vote against a bill proposed by Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker that would mandate Congress be allowed a 60-day review period on an agreement with Iran, but she wants more information about what is actually on the bill before making her decision.
Also on Sunday, Feinstein commented on the ongoing historic drought affecting her state. She noted that the state's snowpack, which is normally a large source of water for the state, is only at about 8 percent of what it should be.
"That is an historic low," she said. "I think it's very serious. We have, you know, close to 38 million people in this state. It's going to mean mandatory rationing. It's going to mean the fouling of large amounts of agricultural land. It's going to mean to being able to try to work our systems more efficiently, and it's a very, very serious problem."