Netanyahu confident world will adopt Iran 'red lines'

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confident the world will come round to see "the wisdom" of his insistence on laying down "red lines" for Iran over its nuclear drive, he said in an interview published on Sunday.

Speaking to the English-language Jerusalem Post newspaper, Mr Netanyahu said he would not stop pushing for the international community to lay down red lines for Iran, which if crossed, would spark a harsh response - a veiled reference to a military strike.

"I started speaking about the Iranian threat 16 years ago. If I was not a lone voice then, I was one of the few, and then others joined. And then I started speaking about the need for economic sanctions against Iran. I wasn't the only voice, but I was one of the few," he said, referring to issues which have since been broadly adopted by the West.

"Now I speak about red lines for Iran. So far I am one of the few; I hope others will join. It takes time to persuade people of the wisdom of this policy," he told the right-leaning daily.