Netanyahu's speech - the summary

The bulk of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress focused on the threat from Iran to Israel, the region and “the world.”

He claimed that Iran “now dominates four Arab capitals” citing Baghdad, the Houthi militias' control of Sana'a in Yemen, Hezbollah in Beirut and Syria's Damascus.

“If Iran's aggression is left unchecked, many more will follow,” he added, warning that “Iran is busy gobbling up the nations!”

“We must all stand together to stop Iran's march of conquest, subjugation and terror.”

He dismissed suggestions that the new Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani was a “moderate” and argued that “Iran's regime is as radical as ever. Its cries of 'Death to America' as loud as ever.”

He also argued that it was a mistake to ally with Iran in the fight against the Islamic State warning that “Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam” and that both wanted to establish an Islamic empire, “first on the region and then on the entire world.”

He painted a nightmare scenario warning that “the greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam and nuclear weapons.”

Condemning the current talks as potentially allowing Iran to get control of nuclear weapons, he argued that – rather than do nothing – the alternative to the current deal was a "better deal” and argued that sanctions on Iran should not be lifted "as long as Iran continues its aggression in the region and across the world."

"If Iran wants to be treated like a normal country, let it act like a normal country,” he said, adding that "if Iran threatens to walk away from the table, and this often happens in the Persian bazaar, call their bluff."

He also gave a brief tribute to Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesel who was present at the speech.

"The days when the Jewish people remain passive in the face of genocidal enemies - those days are over!" he proclaimed.

"May God bless the state of Israel and god bless the United States of America!"

According to observers, there were around 25 standing ovations from Congress throughout the speech.