In a display of unity between allies who often disagree President Barack Obama assuredIsraels visiting leader Monday that theUnited Stateswill always haveIsraels back and said theU.S.andIsraelagree that diplomacy is the best way to resolve the crisis over potential Iranian nuclear weapons.
Both the prime minister and I prefer to solve this diplomatically Obama said as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began several hours of White House consultations. TheU.S.will consider all options in confronting what it sees as the unacceptable outcome of an Iranian bomb Obama said.
IsraelandAmericastand together Netanyahu said. He added thatIsraelis a sovereign nation with the right to defend itself a pointed reference to the main question hanging over Mondays high-stakes meeting: Whether to try to stop an Iranian bomb by with a military attack in the next several months.
Israelmust remain the master of its fate Netanyahu said.
Obama will try to persuade Netanyahu to slow quickening pressure among many in his hawkish government to attackIrans disputed nuclear development sites. Obama is trying to avert an Israeli strike that could come this spring and which theUnited Statessees as dangerously premature.
The president is expected to tell Netanyahu in private at the White House that although theU.S.is committed toIsraels security it does not want to be dragged into another war. Obama is unlikely to spell outU.S.red lines that would trigger a military response despite Israeli pressure to do so.
Obama previewed the Oval Office meeting with a speech Sunday to American supporters ofIsrael a key constituency in this election year.
Obama said he doesnt want war but insists he would attackIranif that was the only option left to stop that nation from getting a nuclear weapon.
Loose talk of war only plays intoIrans hands Obama said.
U.S.officials believe that whileTehranhas the capability to build a nuclear weapon it has not yet decided to do so. They want to give sanctions time to pressureIranto give up any military nuclear ambitions.Israelsays the threat is too great to wait and many officials there are advocating a pre-emptive strike.
Obama did not directly call onIsraelto stand down and made a point of sayingIsraelshould always have the right to defend itself as it sees fit.
That was the part of Obamas speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that Netanyahu said he liked best. Speaking to reporters inCanadaahead of his arrival in theU.S. Netanyahu made no reference to the sanctions and diplomacy Obama emphasized.
Obama is unlikely to persuade Netanyahu that economic sanctions and diplomacy are enough to preventIranfrom getting a nuclear weapon and he is unlikely to win any new concessions from Netanyahu on peace talks the issue that drew bad blood between the two men in previous meetings and led the Israeli leader to publicly scold Obama last year.
Netanyahu has not publicly backed a military strike but his government spurned arguments from topU.S.national security leaders that a preemptive attack would fail.
Now is not the time for bluster Obama said. Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in.
Israeli President Shimon Peres who had a meeting with Obama Sunday said he came out with the feeling that the man is determined to preventIranfrom attaining nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu was more subdued in reacting to Obamas comments Sunday saying more than everything I value his statement thatIsraelmust be able to protect itself from all threats.
Obama framed military force as a last resort not the next option at a time when sanctions are squeezingIran. He said just the talk of war has driven up the price of oil to the benefit ofIran.
AlthoughIsraelsays it hasnt decided whether to strike it has signaled readiness to do so within the next several months. The topU.S.military officer recently called a unilateral strike imprudent a mild catchall for the chain-reaction of oil price hikes Iranian retaliation terror strikes and a possible wider Mideast war thatU.S.officials fear could flow from an Israeli strike.
Israelsays a nuclear-armedIranwould be a threat to its existence. It cites Iranian leaders repeated calls forIsraels destruction support for anti-Israel militant groups and its arsenal of ballistic missiles that are already capable of strikingIsrael.Israelalso fears a nuclearIranwould touch off an atomic weapons race in a region hostile toIsraels existence.
Addressing the powerful pro-Israel lobby Obama delivered messages to multiple political audiences:IsraelIran Jewish voters a restless Congress a wary international community and three Republican presidential contenders who will speak to the same group Tuesday.
At the core was his assertion that theUnited Stateswill never settle for containing a nuclear-armedIranor fail to defendIsrael.
The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said Monday his organization has serious concerns thatIranmay be hiding secret atomic weapons work as he acknowledged failure in his latest attempt to probe such suspicions and listed recent atomic advances byIran.
The agency continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions toIrans nuclear program International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said inVienna.
In a display of unity between allies who often disagree President Barack Obama assuredIsraels visiting leader Monday that theUnited Stateswill always haveIsraels back and said theU.S.andIsraelagree that diplomacy is the best way to resolve the crisis over potential Iranian nuclear weapons.
Both the prime minister and I prefer to solve this diplomatically Obama said as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began several hours of White House consultations. TheU.S.will consider all options in confronting what it sees as the unacceptable outcome of an Iranian bomb Obama said.
IsraelandAmericastand together Netanyahu said. He added thatIsraelis a sovereign nation with the right to defend itself a pointed reference to the main question hanging over Mondays high-stakes meeting: Whether to try to stop an Iranian bomb by with a military attack in the next several months.
Israelmust remain the master of its fate Netanyahu said.
Obama will try to persuade Netanyahu to slow quickening pressure among many in his hawkish government to attackIrans disputed nuclear development sites. Obama is trying to avert an Israeli strike that could come this spring and which theUnited Statessees as dangerously premature.
The president is expected to tell Netanyahu in private at the White House that although theU.S.is committed toIsraels security it does not want to be dragged into another war. Obama is unlikely to spell outU.S.red lines that would trigger a military response despite Israeli pressure to do so.
Obama previewed the Oval Office meeting with a speech Sunday to American supporters ofIsrael a key constituency in this election year.
Obama said he doesnt want war but insists he would attackIranif that was the only option left to stop that nation from getting a nuclear weapon.
Loose talk of war only plays intoIrans hands Obama said.
U.S.officials believe that whileTehranhas the capability to build a nuclear weapon it has not yet decided to do so. They want to give sanctions time to pressureIranto give up any military nuclear ambitions.Israelsays the threat is too great to wait and many officials there are advocating a pre-emptive strike.
Obama did not directly call onIsraelto stand down and made a point of sayingIsraelshould always have the right to defend itself as it sees fit.
That was the part of Obamas speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that Netanyahu said he liked best. Speaking to reporters inCanadaahead of his arrival in theU.S. Netanyahu made no reference to the sanctions and diplomacy Obama emphasized.
Obama is unlikely to persuade Netanyahu that economic sanctions and diplomacy are enough to preventIranfrom getting a nuclear weapon and he is unlikely to win any new concessions from Netanyahu on peace talks the issue that drew bad blood between the two men in previous meetings and led the Israeli leader to publicly scold Obama last year.
Netanyahu has not publicly backed a military strike but his government spurned arguments from topU.S.national security leaders that a preemptive attack would fail.
Now is not the time for bluster Obama said. Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in.
Israeli President Shimon Peres who had a meeting with Obama Sunday said he came out with the feeling that the man is determined to preventIranfrom attaining nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu was more subdued in reacting to Obamas comments Sunday saying more than everything I value his statement thatIsraelmust be able to protect itself from all threats.
Obama framed military force as a last resort not the next option at a time when sanctions are squeezingIran. He said just the talk of war has driven up the price of oil to the benefit ofIran.
AlthoughIsraelsays it hasnt decided whether to strike it has signaled readiness to do so within the next several months. The topU.S.military officer recently called a unilateral strike imprudent a mild catchall for the chain-reaction of oil price hikes Iranian retaliation terror strikes and a possible wider Mideast war thatU.S.officials fear could flow from an Israeli strike.
Israelsays a nuclear-armedIranwould be a threat to its existence. It cites Iranian leaders repeated calls forIsraels destruction support for anti-Israel militant groups and its arsenal of ballistic missiles that are already capable of strikingIsrael.Israelalso fears a nuclearIranwould touch off an atomic weapons race in a region hostile toIsraels existence.
Addressing the powerful pro-Israel lobby Obama delivered messages to multiple political audiences:IsraelIran Jewish voters a restless Congress a wary international community and three Republican presidential contenders who will speak to the same group Tuesday.
At the core was his assertion that theUnited Stateswill never settle for containing a nuclear-armedIranor fail to defendIsrael.
The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said Monday his organization has serious concerns thatIranmay be hiding secret atomic weapons work as he acknowledged failure in his latest attempt to probe such suspicions and listed recent atomic advances byIran.
The agency continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions toIrans nuclear program International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said inVienna.
