Obama says Netanyahu's Iran speech contains 'nothing new'

US President Barack Obama says Mr Netanyahu has not "offered any viable alternatives" to negotiating with Tehran

US President Barack Obama has reacted scathingly to a speech by the Israeli prime minister that castigated his policy towards Iran.

In a speech to the US Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a deal under discussion on Iran's nuclear programme could "pave Iran's path to the bomb" rather than block it.

But Mr Obama said Mr Netanyahu had offered no viable alternative.

Other senior Democrats - and Iran - also criticised Mr Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader's visit was controversial from the start, because the Republican speaker invited him without consulting the White House.

The US president announced he would not meet Mr Netanyahu, who is fighting in a closely contested national election in just two weeks' time.

Talks on Iran's nuclear programme are nearing a critical late-March deadline for an outline agreement to be reached.

'Hide and cheat'

In a speech to the US Congress regularly punctuated by standing ovations Mr Netanyahu depicted Iran as a "threat to the entire world".

Mr Netanyahu was searing in his denunciation of the deal being negotiated with Iran

His speech was interrupted by regular standing ovations from US lawmakers

But some, such as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (right), held back applause and sometimes showed visible signs of disagreement

Mr Netanyahu's speech, with handwritten edits, urged US lawmakers to block any forthcoming deal with Iran

He insisted Iran had proven time and time again that it could not be trusted.

Mr Netanyahu went on to criticise the likely contours of the deal currently being negotiated in Switzerland, where Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday.

"We've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal," he said. "Well this is a bad deal, a very bad deal, We're better off without it."

He said it relied heavily on international monitoring, when Iran "plays a pretty good game of 'hide and cheat' with UN inspectors".