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Bloomberg.com Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel makes "any mistake," after President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. "The heads of the Zionist regime should know that in case of any mistake against Iran, Iran will level down Tel Aviv and Haifa," Khamenei said in a message from the city of Mashhad aired on state television to mark the Nowrouz festival, the start of the Iranian new year. Israel has the right to "defend itself, by itself," Netanyahu said yesterday, the latest warning that his country may launch a military strike against Iran. The US will do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, Obama said. Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, spoke as international sanctions spearheaded by the US are targeting Iran's trade, banking and energy industry. While the US administration has argued that the sanctions should be given time to work, Obama said yesterday that there was "not a lot of daylight" between the US and Israel on the issue. The Iranian leader mixed hostile rhetoric with more conciliatory language, saying that while he did not oppose direct talks with the US, he wasn't optimistic about the possible outcome. The country's enemies sought to paralyze it through sanctions, though the policy would fail if Iran managed to cut its dependence on oil, Khamenei said... Netanyahu said yesterday he was "absolutely convinced" of Obama's resolve in preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb, adding that diplomatic and economic pressure must be backed up by a "clear and credible threat of military action." The two leaders said they were in accord on the timeline of about a year for Iran's progress toward being able to build a nuclear weapon. Obama arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday for his first visit to Israel as president and the first foreign trip of his second term. By visiting Israel, the US president is seeking to reassure Israelis about his commitment to their country's security following tension with Netanyahu over Jewish settlements, the peace process and dealing with Iran. READ FULL SOURCE ARTICLE: 03/21/2013 The BasicsProject.org informational and educational pamphlet series is now available for Kindle and iPad. Click here to find out more... The New Media Journal and BasicsProject.org are not funded by outside sources. We exist exclusively on tax deductible donations from our readers and contributors. Please make a tax deductible donation today.
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