Maintain pressure on Iran, Netanyahu urges Obama

Israeli PM suspects that ‘smiley campaign’ a ploy by Tehran to pursue bomb

WASHINGTON— Despite soothing assurances from Iran’s new leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to keep punishing sanctions in place against Tehran — and even tighten them if the Islamic republic advances its nuclear programs while negotiating with the U.S.

Netanyahu nevertheless signalled he would not block Obama’s efforts to seek a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear impasse, even as he ex- pressed skepticism about the Iranian government.

“If diplomacy is to work, those pressures must be kept in place,” Netanyahu said of the sanctions during an Oval Office meeting with Obama.

The two men met three days after Obama’s historic phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which marked the first direct conversation between U.S. and Iranian leaders in more than three decades.

While the election of Rouhani, a more moderate-sounding cleric, has been viewed optimistically by the White House, Netanyahu has dismissed the new Iranian leader’s outreach as a “smiley campaign” aimed at buying Tehran more time to pursue a bomb. Obama, who has long called for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, said it was important to test the possible diplomatic opening. But he insisted that U.S. officials were “clear-eyed” as they enter talks with the Iranians. The president did not offer Netanyahu any public assurances about the future of the American sanctions, which have resulted in skyrocketing inflation and unemployment in Iran. But he credited the penalties with pushing Rouhani to seek a nuclear deal in exchange for economic relief. Ahead of his visit to the U.S., Netanyahu made a series of derisive remarks about Rouhani’s efforts to woo Obama and vowed to “tell the truth in the face of the sweet talk and the onslaught of smiles.” But the Israeli leader was publicly more subdued while sitting side by side with Obama at the White House. He thanked the U.S. president for his efforts to curb the Iranian nuclear program and for calling on Rouhani to back up his words with actions. And in a possible sign of moderation, Netanyahu repeatedly said Iran must give up its “military” nuclear program, raising the possibility that Israel might be open to tolerating limited nuclear activities by Iran. Speaking Monday at the United Nations, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird took a tone similar to Netanyahu’s, calling on nations to maintain tough sanctions on Iran despite that country’s recent overtures to the West. “Sound bites do not remove threats to global security. Kind words, a smile and a charm offensive are not a substitute for real action,” Baird told the general assembly.

Canada severed its own diplomatic ties with Iran a year ago, shutting its embassy in Tehran because of security concerns and kicking out Iranian diplomats. In his speech, Baird signalled that Canada is keen to see reforms in Iran but won’t soften its stance until tangible progress is evident. “We will welcome and acknowledge reform, if and when it comes,” Baird said, according to a text of his prepared remarks.

Meanwhile, Rouhani has reportedly asked Iranian aviation authorities to study the possibility of resuming direct flights between Iran and the U.S. for the first time in more than three decades. With files from Bruce Campion-Smith