Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons regardless of the course of diplomatic negotiations with the United States and Arab countries, Reuters reports.

“I want to emphasize once again: with or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not possess nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.

The Israeli prime minister has long argued that Tehran seeks to obtain nuclear weapons, which Iran has repeatedly denied.

The issue of Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the key factors of tension in relations between Israel and Iran, as well as a subject of Washington’s diplomatic efforts.