He also offered him a very nice deal on a bridge. One wonders if he was able to keep a straight face during this phone call. How could he sell “We have just made you vastly less safe, but don’t worry, we’re committed to your security” is beyond me.
“Obama briefs Netanyahu on Iran deal, says US committed to Israel’s security,” by Adiv Sterman and Elhanan Miller for the Times of Israel, November 25:
US President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday evening, in a pre-scheduled conversation, and told him that the US will remain committed to Israel and its safety. The call came nearly 24 hours after Iran and world powers signed a first-step agreement in Geneva to largely freeze Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for partial sanctions relief.
Obama added that the US would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon under any circumstances, and would confer with Israel about future negotiations with Tehran over a final agreement.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” deputy White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a press gaggle aboard Air Force One. According to US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, Obama told Netanyahu that he wants the two sides “to begin consultations immediately regarding our efforts to negotiate a comprehensive solution.”
“The President underscored that the United States will remain firm in our commitment to Israel, which has good reason to be skeptical about Iran’s intentions,” Shapiro wrote on Facebook.
“Consistent with our commitment to consult closely with our Israeli friends, the president told the prime minister that he wants the United States and Israel to begin consultations immediately regarding our efforts to negotiate a comprehensive solution,” said a statement by the White House. “The president underscored that the United States will remain firm in our commitment to Israel, which has good reason to be skeptical about Iran’s intentions,” it said.
Israeli TV news reported late Sunday that Netanyahu was “extremely angry” with Obama over the deal, that he fears the international sanctions regime will now crumble, that the US had not come clean to Israel over a secret back channel of talks with Iran, and that Israel’s military option for intervening in Iran is off the table for the foreseeable future now that the interim deal is done.
“The president provided the prime minister with an update on negotiations in Geneva and underscored his strong commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which is the aim of the ongoing negotiations,” the White House said.
The report added that the two leaders agreed to “stay in touch on this issue.”
An Obama administration official who spoke to Reuters said that the phone call had been “very long,” though the official declined to provide further information about the two leader’s discussion….