WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says he does not want war but insists that he would attack Iran if that was the only option left to stop the nation from getting a nuclear weapon. "Loose talk of war" only plays into Iran's hands, Obama said on Sunday.
On Monday, Obama sought to assure Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would always "have Israel's back" but said there was still time for diplomacy.
Netanyahu, in a show of unity with an American leader with whom he has had a rocky relationship, said at the White House that both Israel and the US stood together on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
"The bond between our two countries is unbreakable ," Obama said. The two men, sitting side by side and smiling at each other in the Oval Office, sought to present a united front in the Iranian nuclear standoff after weeks of mounting concern that Israel would preemptively strike Iran on its own.
"We believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution," Obama said. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would be the "master of its fate" in deciding how to deal with Iran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Iran court orders retrial of 'US spy'
Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for spying handed down to former US Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati, Iranian media reported on Monday, quoting a top judiciary official. "The sentence was overturned by the SC... The case has been sent back to the court for retrial," prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said, ISNA news agency reported without elaborating.
