Sunday, Netanyahu warned that Iran is only months away from building a nuclear bomb(s).
Taking his message to television airways, Netanyahu is highlighting the U.S.-Israeli rift that recently made headline news when
Obama said he would not meet with the Israeli leader, and adding pressure on Obama to better define his policies on Iran, according to an
NBC report.
Netanyahu has called on Obama to draw a “red line” that Iran should not cross in its nuclear development. Western countries believe Iran is building a nuclear weapon. The country’s leaders have repeatedly expressed their hatred of Israel and desire to see the country vanished from the region.
Talking directly to the American public, Netanyahu said that “by mid-2013 Iran would be 90 percent of the way toward enough enriched uranium for a weapon.” He stressed that the United States should define limits Tehran should not exceed regarding nuclear projects. Mr. Obama has refused to detail his Iranian policy when it comes to a potential U.S. strike.
Israel has been the strongest U.S. ally in the Middle East and the rift between the nations under Obama comes amid a tight reelection campaign.
Last week,
Obama said Egypt, that shares a tense border with Israel, is neither a friend nor ally of the U.S. as demonstrators breached
U.S. embassy walls throughout the Middle East.
The
White House claims Iran hasn’t scheduled a nuclear "breakout" – component assembly of nuclear bombs - and estimate Iran is about a year away from having a nuclear device.
Meanwhile,
Netanyahu, speaking directly to the American people, linked current anti-American violence in the Middle East to Iran’s nuclear program.
"It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?" Netanyahu asked in the NBC interview.