Treasury secretary booed during Iran speech

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was heckled on Sunday morning as he defended the administration’s negotiations for an Iranian nuclear deal to a crowd at The Jerusalem Post conference in New York.

“I would only ask that you listen to me as we listen to you,” Lew told the crowd, after the Jerusalem Post’s editor-in-chief condemned the hecklers, according to the newspaper.

{mosads}A video of the heckling was posted on the newspaper’s website.

During the conference, Lew, an orthodox Jew, spoke over shouted comments and boos throughout his speech.

The Post reported the crowd reaction came in response to Lew’s reiteration that President Obama is committed to the state of Israel and its long-term security.

“In these difficult times, the president has reaffirmed for the world time and time again that the United States of America stands with the state of Israel. This commitment began with a promise at Israel’s founding that has been continued by every [resident and every Congress since,” Lew said. “The simple fact is this: No administration has done more for Israel’s security than this one.”

Lew used the speech to sell the deal to hundreds of supporters of Israel, whose prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has largely opposed the negotiations with Iran.

If the administration reaches a final agreement by the June 30 deadline, Lew said sanctions relief would only be granted under two conditions.

“First, sanctions would be lifted in phases, only after Iran meets agreed-upon benchmarks. Our phasing will be designed to ensure that Iran meets and maintains its commitments,” he said. “And second, we will make sure that if Iran violates its commitments, we will have the full capability to snap sanctions back into place and reverse the relief.”