Netanyahu tells Obama that for diplomacy to work, sanctions against Iran must stay in place

WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging President Barack Obama not to let up on sanctions against Iran.

Netanyahu says he appreciates U.S. sanctions on Iran in light of global concerns about its nuclear program. He says for diplomacy to work, quote, “those pressures must be kept in place.”

Netanyahu says Iran remains committed to Israel’s destruction.

Netanyahu spoke during an Oval Office meeting Monday with Obama. The meeting comes just days after Obama’s historic phone call with new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Netanyahu has been warning the U.S. against equating Rouhani’s more moderate rhetoric with substantive changes in Iran’s nuclear policy. Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat. Iran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons.