President Obama felt compelled to respond directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday, arguing that the Israeli leader failed to offer any viable alternatives to the current administration negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear program.
Obama, in a rare unannounced statement to reporters, said he had not watched Netanyahu’s speech but had read the transcript. He said the speech didn’t offer anything new.
“The prime minister appropriately pointed out that the bond between the United States of America is unbreakable, and on that point I thoroughly agree,” Obama said.
“But on the core issue, which is how do we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would make it far more dangerous and would give it scope for even greater action in the region, the prime minister didn’t offer any viable alternatives” to the current negotiations, he said.
With just two years left in his presidency, Obama is furiously working to make a deal with Iran to roll back its nuclear program part of his foreign policy legacy.
During his remarks to the press, he affirmed that one of his primary foreign policy goals has been preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and called the sanctions program implemented with Congress’ help “extraordinarily effective,” adding that it “pressures Iran to come to the table to negotiate in a serious fashion.”
He said he agrees with Netanyahu that Iran is a dangerous regime and has repeatedly threatened Israel, saying “no one can dispute” that Iran has used anti-Semitic language against Israelis.
