(Telegraph).Israel's prime minister began an intensive round of telephone diplomacy to urge Western governments to stand firm against Iran in response to the latest revelations of its secret nuclear programme.
Netanyahu telephoned Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and other senators and congressmen to urge tougher sanctions."Action must be taken in all areas to increase pressure on Iran and impose crippling sanctions on it," he said, according to the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. "If not now, then when?"
The report suggests that Israel, which has been considering air strikes against Iran, is for now still pursuing diplomatic routes to preventing Tehran's development of nuclear missiles.
Mr Netanyahu is also trying to show he is mindful of the approach being taken to Iran by Barack Obama, US president. The prime minister knows that Iran is part of a broader geopolitical set of issues and that in the long run, should he wish to order a strike against Iran, it will be hard, if not impossible, to do so without American approval.
Mr Netanyahu was backed by a diplomatic barrage from other senior Israeli figures. Avigdor Lieberman, the hardline foreign minister, called on the international community to overthrow "the mad regime of Tehran". General Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, said there was still time to allow sanctions to work.
