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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Barak: President Obama is determined to stop Iran from going nuclear

President Barack Obama held a private meeting with Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday at a Jewish community conference.

The meeting was held without any advisors and delayed Obama's speech. After their meeting, Obama spoke before the 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism, reassuring that "the cooperation between our militaries has never been stronger," as he thanked Barak "for his leadership and his lifelong commitment to Israel’s security and the quest for a just and lasting peace."

Barak refused to say whether Obama requested full cooperation on the Iranian issue in order to prevent an independent Israeli military strike. The defense minister only responded that both countries agree that a nuclear Iran is "unacceptable."

The defense minister assured that "we are all determined to stop Iran from going nuclear, including world leaders and the president of the United States. No option can be taken off the table."