Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with US President Barack Obama (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged US President Barack Obama yesterday to keep sanctions against Iran and even tighten them if Tehran continues nuclear advances during a coming round of negotiations with the West.

Seeking to ease Israeli concerns about US diplomatic engagement with Iran, Obama said Tehran must prove its sincerity with actions, not just words, and vowed to keep all options on the table, including the possibility of a military response.

Netanyahu was hosted at the White House just three days after Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by telephone in the highest-level contact between the countries in more than three decades.

The call fuelled hopes for a resolution of Iran’s decade-old nuclear standoff with the West.

Signs of US-Iranian rapprochement have rattled Israel, which accuses Iran of trying to buy time and ease international sanctions so it can pursue development of nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is working toward an atomic bomb.

“In fact, it is Israel’s firm belief that if Iran continues to advance its nuclear program during negotiations, the sanctions should be strengthened,” Netanyahu said as he sat side by side with Obama and praised the US leader for his response so far to Iran’s outreach.

US President ready to test Rouhani’s overtures

Obama said he was ready to test Rouhani’s overtures but would insist on “the highest level of verification” of Iran curbing its nuclear programme before providing what he called “sanctions relief.”

International sanctions have done serious damage to Iran’s economy, including its oil sector.

Even as Netanyahu called for a “credible military threat” to pressure Iran to comply, Obama made clear that the US remained open to use of military force if diplomacy fails.

Israel has threatened unilateral strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites but appears unlikely to go ahead with such action any time soon as Washington, its chief ally, tests the diplomatic waters with Iran.

Though Obama and Netanyahu have had strained relations in the past, they appeared relatively comfortable together in their latest Oval Office encounter.