U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu by phone on Friday, a day after his dramatic speech on Iran’s nuclear program before the UN General Assembly.
According to the White House, Obama spoke with the prime minister for about 20 minutes. They discussed a “range of security issues”, including Iran, said a White House statement.
“The two leaders underscored that they are in full agreement on the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” the statement said.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was also due to speak by telephone with Netanyahu on Friday, the Republican nominee’s campaign said.
A Romney aide confirmed to AFP the call would take place between the two men, but did not provide details.
During his UN speech Thursday, Netanyahu drew an actual red line with a marker on a chart symbolizing Iran’s uranium enrichment program, and explained that Iran must be told that if it reaches enough uranium enriched to the 90% level in order to make a nuclear bomb, it will be attacked.
Late on Thursday night, Netanyahu held a 75-minute one-on-one meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Obama, however, declined Netanyahu’s request for a meeting, citing his re-election campaign as the reason.
Romney expressed solidarity on Thursday with Netanyahu, saying, “I join in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for a Middle East of progress and peace. I join his urgent call to prevent the gravest threat to that vision: a nuclear-armed Iran. The designs of the Iranian regime are a threat to America, Israel and our friends and allies around the world.”
Romney has strongly criticized Obama for what the Republican challenger describes as failing to curtail Iran’s ambition to build a nuclear weapon.