Obama said this ahead of a crucial meeting in which he will urge Israel's prime minister to avoid a premature strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
President Barack Obama warned on Sunday against "loose talk" of a war with Iran ahead of a crucial meeting in which he will urge Israel's prime minister to avoid a premature strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
On the eve of his talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama used a speech to the pro-Israel US lobbying group AIPAC to pledge his staunch support for the Jewish state and to argue that international sanctions on Iran must given more time to work.
"I firmly believe that an opportunity remains for diplomacy - backed by pressure - to succeed," Obama told a crowd of 13,000 at the AIPAC policy conference. Obama said the "bluster" about a military strike was counterproductive because it has been driving up global oil prices, boosting demand for Iranian oil and helping to offset the impact of sanctions on its economy.
"I would ask that we all remember the weightiness of these issues, the stakes involved for Israel, for America, and for the world. Already, there is too much loose talk of war," Obama said. Obama did not accuse any particular person or country of the "loose talk."
Obama's meeting with Netanyahu on Monday comes amid US fears that Israel might opt to strike Iran on its own if it is not convinced of US resolve to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Such speculation has gained traction as Obama has faced election-year criticism from Republicans who question the strength of his support for Israel and accuse him of not taking a tough enough approach toward Iran.
Analysts say such criticism could lead Israel to calculate that Obama could ill afford a rift with the Jewish state with a US election looming in November and would be forced to give at least tacit support if Israel were to take military action against Iran.
'Very much appreciated'
Speaking in Canada, Netanyahu said, "I very much appreciated the fact that President Obama reiterated his position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that all options are on the table."
The Israeli prime minister also said he appreciated that Obama "made clear that when it comes to a nuclear-armed Iran, containment is simply not an option." "Perhaps most important of all, I appreciated the fact that he said that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat," Netanyahu added.
Obama last week issued his most direct threat yet of US military action against Iran, saying in an interview with the Atlantic magazine, "I don't bluff."
However, as he did in the AIPAC speech, Obama argued in the interview for focusing on sanctions as the course of action with the most likely chance of success.
In addition to framing his views on Iran ahead of the talks with Netanyahu, Obama also sought in the speech to push back on Republican critics who have seized on the differences between Netanyahu and Obama over Iran to argue he has not been supportive enough of a key US ally.
"There should not be a shred of doubt by now: when the chips are down, I have Israel's back," Obama told the AIPAC conference.
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Jim Wolf; Editing by Will Dunham)
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