Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday their nations stand together in their efforts to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon.
The two leaders met at the White House to discuss Iran's nuclear program and other Middle East issues amid talk that Israel may attack nuclear sites in Iran.
In comments to reporters before the meeting, Obama said both he and Netanyahu prefer a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue.
However, Obama made clear -- as he did in a speech to the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Sunday -- that military force remains an option in the effort to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
Netanyahu said he welcomed Obama's "strong speech" on Sunday and noted that Iran considers the United States the "great Satan" and Israel the "little Satan."
Iran calls the two countries the same, Netanyahu said, adding "they're right" because "Israel and America stand together."
At the same time, he insisted that Israel must remain "the master of its fate" in defending itself against Iran having a nuclear weapon.
Earlier Monday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Director General Yukiya Amano, reiterated agency warnings that it cannot say whether Iran's nuclear program is peaceful, as the Islamic republic maintains.
Amano said the IAEA "continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions."
The United States and Israel suspect that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Both have said they will act to prevent that, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.
Obama has no public appearances after Monday's meeting, while Netanyahu will speak later at the AIPAC conference in Washington. The White House announced Obama will hold a news conference on Tuesday.
Speaking to AIPAC on Sunday, Obama warned that "all elements of American power" remain an option to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, though the president also made clear that he prefers diplomacy over war, both as a principle and in the case of Iran.
"Too much loose talk of war with Iran" only benefits the Iranian government by driving up the price of oil, Obama said to the pro-Israel lobby group.
Obama said his policy is not containment of a nuclear Iran, but preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. At the same time, he emphasized that Iran "should not doubt Israel's sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs."
While Obama's statements are consistent with his past pronouncements, his specific reference to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- rather than the capability of building a nuclear weapon -- maintained what some consider to be a difference from Israel's position.
Israeli officials say that if Iran were to become able to enrich weapons-grade uranium, it would potentially cross the "red line" of nuclear weapons capability that Israel fears.
In a statement issued after Obama's speech, Netanyahu expressed appreciation for the president's position that all options are on the table to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"I also appreciated the fact that he made clear that when it comes to a nuclear-armed Iran, containment is simply not an option," Netanyahu said, "and equally, in my judgment, perhaps most important of all, I appreciated the fact that he said that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat."
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