White House: Obama, Netanyahu Agree on Blocking Iran Nuclear Program
The White House is denying reports of a U.S. rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he and President Barack Obama have reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Obama and Netanyahu spoke for an hour Tuesday night. The White House said in a statement later that the two men agreed to continue “close consultations going forward” regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The White House denied published reports that Obama had rejected Netanyahu’s request to meet with Obama in Washington next week. No such request was made or rejected, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
The unusual, late-night announcement from the White House comes after Netanyahu criticized what he called the world’s failure to spell out what would provoke a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Netanyahu has urged the U.S. to set “red lines” for Tehran. The Obama administration has refused.
‘Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel,’ Netanyahu said Tuesday.