WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama appealed to Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to give sanctions more time to curb Iran‘s nuclear ambitions, but the Israeli prime minister gave no sign of backing away from possible military action.
The two men, who have had a strained relationship, sought to present a united front in the Iranian nuclear standoff as they opened White House talks. But their public statements revealed differences over how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
In one of the most consequential meetings of US and Israeli leaders in years, Obama and Netanyahu made no mention of lingering disagreements that Washington fears could lead to an Israeli rush to attack Iran’s nuclear sites in the coming months.
Obama took a double-barrelled approach, seeking to assure Netanyahu that the United States was keeping the military option open against Iran and always “has Israel’s back,” but also urging Israeli patience to allow sanctions and diplomacy to work.
Netanyahu, speaking in historical terms about the Jewish state’s determination to be the “master of its fate,” focused on Israel reserving the right to defend itself against Iran. Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to its existence.
“We believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution,” Obama said, even he sought to convince Netanyahu of stiffened US resolve against the Islamic republic.
In cautioning against renewed international diplomatic engagement with Iran, Netanyahu has warned Western powers not to fall into a “trap” of letting Iran buy more time.
There was no immediate sign from yesterday’s talks that Obama’s sharpened rhetoric against Iran and calls for restraint by Israel would be enough to delay any Israeli military plans against Tehran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Despite that, the body language between the two leaders was a stark contrast to their last Oval Office meeting in May 2011 when Netanyahu lectured Obama on Jewish history and criticized his approach to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
This time, Obama and Netanyahu appeared cordial and businesslike, smiling at each other and sometimes nodding as the other spoke.
