British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. Photo: Wikipedia.

Diplomatic officials in Israel rejected on Wednesday comments by U.K. Foreign Minister Philip Hammond earlier in the day that Jerusalem sought a permanent stand-off with Iran over its nuclear program, saying the country sought negotiations with Tehran more than anybody else.

“We were probably the people who pushed harder than anyone else in the world to bring Iran to the negotiating table in the first place,” an Israeli diplomatic official told The Algemeiner in response to Hammond, who said Israel does not want any deal with Iran.

“No one was more interested than Israel in a good deal with Iran,” the official said.

Israeli officials from Left to Right roundly criticized the nuclear deal announced by negotiators from Iran and world powers on Tuesday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a historic mistake.

Israel is concerned the deal allows Iran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure until it decides eventually to build a bomb, whether before or after the deal expires in 10 years. Critics of the deal are also concerned lifting sanctions will enrich the Tehran regime and strengthen its hand across the Middle East.