Netanyahu claims never to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, as long as he is prime minister of Israel.

Netanyahu also stressed that U.S. President Donald Trump and he are in full agreement on the matter.

Netanyahu's statement came as both the United States and Iran signaled an agreement to end their war was close.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday night that Iran and the U.S. will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war within the next few days.

In response to the possible agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel must ensure that in the future it can act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Katz said he and Netanyahu had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare accordingly.

The Times of Israel interpreted the defense minister's remarks as a signal that Israel is keeping the military option on the table to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons.

Trump said on Thursday that he called off a planned strike and bombings against Iran in light of the imminent agreement.

In a statement from Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said that while Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, he appreciates Trump's commitment to ensuring any final agreement includes limits on Iran's nuclear program and missile capabilities.

The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, fell 0.11 percent to 99.747 at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1575 dollars from 1.1558 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound was up to 1.3416 dollars from 1.3398 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 160.24 Japanese yen, higher than 160.08 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar decreased to 0.7968 Swiss francs from 0.7970 Swiss francs, and it lost to 1.3980 Canadian dollars from 1.3981 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar was down to 9.4215 Swedish kronor from 9.4759 Swedish kronor.