When politicians speak nonsense, it is a good bet that there is something else going on behind the scenes that cannot be said directly.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about the Iranian nuclear accord are nonsense. So what is really going on? One cannot know for sure, but things become a good deal clearer when we begin with a startling idea: Netanyahu does not care whether Iran has the bomb.

First, the nonsense. Netanyahu argues that the proposed deal will lead to a nuclear-armed Iran, which would threaten the very existence of Israel. He objects that Iran will be able to develop its centrifuge technology such that in 15 years, when the limits on nuclear production end, Iran will be in a position to quickly develop a bomb. He argues that the possibility of a 24-day procedural delay before inspectors can arrive to check out any alleged violation would allow Iran to cover up its illicit activities.

But the absurdities become apparent when you consider the alternative, Iran without an agreement. Suppose he is right that Iran can comply while still developing its nuclear knowhow, which would allow it to develop a bomb quickly at the end of the agreement. Yet without an agreement, Iran may be only months away from the construction of a bomb should it choose to go that route. How is 15 years not better than 15 months?

Similarly how is it not better to have a right to inspect — even after 24 days — than no right to inspect at all? Suppose Iran did use the delay to eliminate evidence of a violation. If there is good evidence — including intelligence — that that is what has happened, why would the United States not respond? How is it in a different position than it is now with respect to a new Iranian threat?

Then, there is the rest of the world, including the other nations involved in negotiating this agreement. Even if Netanyahu were to succeed in convincing Congress to reject the agreement, Europe and Russia are surely going to go ahead and lift their sanctions. They are not going to follow a U.S. decision that will have every appearance of having been deeply influenced by Israel. Netanyahu says “negotiate a better deal,” but our negotiating partners are done negotiating. There is no way forward to a “better deal,” which is precisely why the president explicitly says that the alternative is “some sort of war.” Surely, Netanyahu knows that the United States is very unlikely to go to war for the sake of Israel, if this deal is defeated in part because of Netanyahu’s intervention in our politics.