Obama confers with Israeli PM

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. is committed to Israel’s security, and the White House said the two leaders are in “full agreement” on the goal of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu spoke by telephone Friday. The call was Mr. Obama’s only publicly announced one-on-one discussion with a foreign leader during a week when the United Nations General Assembly is holding its opening session. The White House statement didn’t say how long the conversation lasted or give details about the discussion

The conversation followed weeks of tensions between the leaders over how aggressively to confront Iran over its atomic weapons program. It also comes as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tries to use the rift to raise doubts with American Jewish voters about Mr. Obama’s commitment to Israel.