Netanyahu to Set 'clear Red Line' on Iran in U.N. Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to set a "clear red line" on Iran's controversial nuclear program in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly later Thursday, an Israeli official said.

"In his speech, the prime minister will set a clear red line" on Iranian nuclear activities, a senior Israeli official told reporters traveling with Netanyahu as his plane arrived in New York.

The Israeli leader's address to the U.N. meeting was expected to focus largely on Tehran's nuclear program, which Israel and much of the international community fears masks a weapons drive.

The program has been a source of discord between Washington and Israel, with U.S. officials cautioning the Jewish state against a military strike on Iran, and brushing aside Israeli calls for "red lines" that could trigger the use of force.

But the official said Netanyahu's comments on Thursday would be in line with the stance presented by U.S. President Barack Obama in his own remarks to the General Assembly earlier this week.

"Netanyahu will say that the United States and Israel have a shared goal to prevent Iran from having nuclear arms," the official said. "What he will say regarding red lines will help ensure this goal will be achieved.

"Netanyahu is convinced that the U.S. and Israel can work together to achieve this common goal," the official added, saying that the premier's comments "will not contradict what Obama said."

"Obama said that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Netanyahu will clarify the way to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons."

Addressing the General Assembly on Tuesday, Obama made clear that Washington would not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran, which Israel has said would pose an existential threat to the Jewish state.

"Make no mistake. A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained. It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy," Obama said.

"That is why a coalition of countries is holding the Iranian government accountable. And that is why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he declared.

Israel, the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear power, has expressed public skepticism that the current international approach of tough sanctions is enough to halt Iran's nuclear program.

It has regularly warned it will take any action necessary, including a preemptive strike, to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu has called publicly for Washington to adopt "red lines" for Iranian nuclear activity that would trigger U.S. military action if Tehran crossed them.

The U.S. administration has rejected calls for such a firm trigger, and Obama did not lay out any such specifics in his speech.