Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Screenshot.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday cautioned America against softening its stance towards Iran during an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.

“Don’t fall for Iran’s ruse. They are not your friend,” he said. “Iran is not your ally. Iran is not your friend. Iran is your enemy. It’s not your partner.”

The PM’s comments come as the Nov 24th deadline for a deal between Iran and world powers over the country’s nuclear program fast approaches. Recent reports indicate that the sides still remain deadlocked.

Netanyahu pointed out that Iran is “committed to the destruction of Israel” and that the Islamic Republic’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei recently called for the annihilation of Israel as the talks with the United States and P5+1 powers proceeded.

“He just did that four days ago,” Netanyahu said, referring to Khamenei. “He specified nine ways and reasons by which Israel should be destroyed. He’s participated in rallies and chants of ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel.’ This is not a friend, neither in the battle against ISIS nor in the effort, the great effort that should be made to deprive him [of] the capacity to make nuclear weapons.”

Hours before Netanyahu’s interview, ISIS released a video claiming to show the beheading of captured American aid worker Peter Kassig. The Israeli prime minister said the Middle East is “awash with militant Islamists” led by al-Qaeda and ISIS on the Sunni side, and  by Iran and Hezbollah on the Shiite side. Of the two sides, he said, “We want both of them to lose.”

“The last thing we want is to have any one of them get weapons of mass destruction,” he added. “Look at what ISIS is doing now with assault rifles and pick-up trucks. Just imagine what Iran would do if it had nuclear weapons. So both our enemies are fighting one another and when they are, weaken both – don’t strengthen either one.”

Watch a video of Netanyahu’s comments below: