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Obama Rebuffs Netanyahu on Setting Limits on Iran's Nuclear Program

(New York Times) Mark Landler and Helene Cooper - President Obama on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel to spell out a specific "red line" that Iran could not cross in its nuclear program, a senior administration official said. In an hour-long telephone conversation, Obama deflected Netanyahu's proposal to make the size of Iran's stockpile of close-to-bomb-grade uranium the threshold for a military strike by the U.S. against its nuclear facilities. "We need some ability for the president to have decision-making room," said the official. "We have a red line, which is a nuclear weapon. We're committed to that red line." Israeli officials say diplomatic talks have done nothing to slow Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu believes that Iran, having continued to stockpile uranium enriched to 20%, is nearing the point at which Israel will no longer be able to prevent it from making a bomb. Administration officials contend that the U.S. will still be able to detect, and prevent, Iran from passing that point.
2012-09-14 00:00:00
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