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On Iran: Obama, Netanyahu In 'Full Agreement' About Goal, White House Says

Here's what the White House says the conversation was like when President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone today:

"President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke today as part of their regular consultations, and to follow up on Secretary Clinton's meeting with the prime minister.

"The two leaders discussed a range of security issues, and the president reaffirmed his and our country's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security. The two leaders underscored that they are in full agreement on the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"The prime minister welcomed President Obama's commitment before the United Nations General Assembly to do what we must to achieve that goal. The two leaders took note of the close cooperation and coordination between the governments of the United States and Israel regarding the threat posed by Iran — its nuclear program, proliferation, and support for terrorism — and agreed to continue their regular consultations on this issue going forward."

Thursday at the U.N., Netanyahu drew what he said should be the "red line" that Iran must not be allowed to cross — the point where it would be close to having enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon. He said Iran could be at that point by next spring or summer.

Though the White House is emphasizing the two leaders' agreement "on the shared goal," as NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro has reported there have been "strained" relations in recent months because of the Israeli leader's push for Obama to clearly state what would lead the U.S. to take military action against Iran.

Netanyahu was also set to speak with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney today.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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